Always, A Hero Comes Home
by Blackheart214
Summary: Full Summary inside! Unohana/OC and some very slight one-sided Momo/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This fanfic has been just physically and mentally exhausting. I planned on writing this story over a year ago and since then have done two different plot outlines and four rewrites for just the first chapter! Finding a way to start this story seemed to be nearly impossible. The chapter you are about to read was already scrapped once because I felt it wasn't strong enough. So seven months later, after writing a second first chapter that I hated, I decided that this one despite my doubts was the better chapter. But I've ranted long enough, on with the story!**

**Summary: Having been framed for the Hollowfication of his fellow captains, Ryuu Hiromasa is cast out of the Soul Society, leaving his captaincy, his friends, and the woman he loved behind. One century later, he given a chance to return in order to help Ichigo save Rukia and to end the life of the man who ruined his life, Sosuke Aizen.**

**DISCLAIMER~ I do not own Bleach or the song that is used as this story's title. Only my OC, Ryuu Hiromasa belongs to me.**

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It was yet another beautiful day in the Seireitei and rather than spend his time enjoying his precious new music he acquired from the world of the living, Shinji Hirako, Captain of Squad Five, along with his lieutenant, Sosuke Aizen, was forced to attend a captain's meeting. What's worse was that on his way to said meeting, he was assaulted by an abusive and annoyingly familiar lieutenant of Squad Twelve, Hiyori Sarugaki. After Captain of Squad Seven, Love Aikawa broke up their face-making fight, the captain's and lieutenants continued into the First Division Headquarters. Once they were inside, Shinji looked up at the Squad plaques hanging from the hooks on the wall.

"Is everyone here?" he asked, looking at the plaques.

"Pretty much," Love answered.

Shinji nodded and noticed that there was an empty space between the plaques that read Squad Nine and Squad Thirteen.

"Where's Squad Ten?" Shinji asked curiously.

"Must be running late," Love said with a shrug of his shoulders. "You know how he loves to run his men ragged for their morning training."

"The Eleventh Squad ain't here either."

"He's playing hooky again. He's blowing everyone off like usual."

"What? I dunno who the Tenth Kenpachi is, but he seems pretty dang laid back. Wonder how the hell a pig like him ever became captain…" Shinji thought out loud.

"Captain!" Aizen chided. That kind of talk was unbecoming of a captain.

"It couldn't be helped. The Kenpachi has been the Eleventh Squad's captain for generations. That's how it's set up," Love explained. "If you want to place the blame somewhere, blame the last Kenpachi who lost to him."

"Good point. He was so boring, I yawned myself to tears!" Shinji exclaimed.

"What's this?"

Everyone turned to face owner of the new voice. It was the captain of Squad Eight, Shunsui Kyoraku. At his sides were his lieutenant, Lisa Yadomaru and Captain Jushiro Ukitake of Squad Thirteen.

"I don't like it when I hear people speak ill of others behind their backs," Kyoraku stated with a friendly smile.

"Oh! You're here early today, Shunsui," Love said in mild surprise.

"What are you talking about? I'm always the first one here," Shunsui said with a light chuckle.

"I grabbed his butt to wake him up today," Lisa said bluntly.

"Don't speak like that in front of the other captains!" Shunsui whispered chidingly to his lieutenant.

"I don't see Hikifune around," Jushiro stated, looking up at the empty space between the plaques. "I guess she isn't coming here anymore."

"It looks like she already joined up with her new group," Shunsui said.

With that, the captains and lieutenants continued down the hall to the meeting room.

"What a disappointment," Jushiro said with a sigh. "It's not like we're in an emergency situation. She should have taken it bit slower."

"You said it," Shunsui said in agreement.

"But ya know, we've been switchin' out captains one after another," Shinji stated. "Rose just became captain of the Third Squad two years ago. And now it's the Twelfth Squad. Are we gonna be okay?"

"Relax. Everything has to change sooner or later. This is just one of those times", Shunsui said reassuringly.

"Come to think of it," he continued, "Jushiro, Old-man-Yama and I are the only one who have been captains for over one hundred years right?"

"You forgot someone! Captain Unohana, remember?" Jushiro reminded.

"Oh that's right! She'd be livid if I forgot about her. Scary stuff…"

"What's so scary?" came a kind and gentle voice from the hallway behind them. Shunsui and Jushiro froze in fear as they recognized the voice; Retsu Unohana, Captain of Squad Four.

"No nothing! We were just saying that weather is so nice today that it's almost scary, right?" Shunsui asked Jushiro nervously.

"What's all this now?" came another voice. Everyone turned to see a man coming down the second hallway beside them.

The man wore a sleeveless captain's haori with an upturned collar. The sleeves of his shihakushō were tucked into light gold bracers that covered most of his forearms. On the back of his haori was the Squad Ten insignia. The man himself looked a little older than Jushiro but younger than Shunsui and was just as tall as the latter. His light brown hair was long and went into a ponytail that began at the base of his neck. He carried a zanpakuto that was a little over six feet long, slightly taller than it's master, and was sheathed a fiery red sheath with a gold hilt and handle. A bright red thin piece of cloth that wrapped around his torso kept the zanpakuto securely against his back.

As the man passed the lieutenants, he nodded towards Sosuke and Lisa, who both bowed to the senior officer, and ruffled Hiyori's hair which caused her to groan in annoyance.

"Making comments about my wife, Shunsui?" the man asked with a friendly smile which Shunsui returned.

"She's not your wife yet, Ryuu," Shunsui stated.

"Details…" Ryuu said as he walked towards Retsu, his fiancé. The two embraced and shared a quick yet passionate kiss.

"When did you arrive?" Retsu asked with a happy smile.

"Just now," Ryuu answered. "I was running my squad through some drills." Retsu laughed lightly.

"Are you going to keep up tonight healing men from your squad?"

"No, I was actually hoping _I _could keep you up all night and I could 'heal' _you_," Ryuu said with a playful smirk.

"There will be none of that before the marriage," Retsu said giving him a playful shove.

"Those two are getting married?" Shinji asked in surprise. "When did that happen?"

"They've been engaged for months, Shinji. How could you not have known?" Love asked.

"I don't pay attention to that kind of thing?" he said with a lazy sigh.

"Maybe it's because your attention is focused elsewhere, Shinji," Ryuu stated. "Might it be little Hiyori that you are focusing on," he said with a teasing smirk.

"WHAT?" shouted the lieutenant and captain in unison.

"Why the hell would I focus on that little snaggle-toothed brat?" Shinji asked, pointing at Hiyori.

"Who the hell you calling a snaggle-toothed brat, you dumbass?" Hiyori shouted.

Everyone laughed at the exchange between the two as they shouted insults and made faces at each other.

"So, is Hikifune no longer with us?" Ryuu asked, bringing everyone's attention back to the previous topic.

"That's right," Shunsui said. "She joined with her new group already."

"Shinji seems concerned about all of the new captain we've been getting lately," Jushiro stated as he looked at the still arguing pair.

"The Third Squad's captain retired and the Twelfth Squad's captain was promoted," Unohana explained. "At least they didn't fall in the line of duty like the previous captain of the Eleventh Squad. It's wonderful that it's so peaceful don't you think?"

Shunsui and Jushiro nodded in agreement.

"Promoted?" asked Shinji's lieutenant, Sosuke Aizen. The captains all looked towards him.

"Hey, Sosuke!" Shinji chided, stopping his argument with Hiyori.

"My apologies!" Sosuke said, realizing he had stuck his nose in matters that were not his business. "I overheard your conversation…"

"No it's fine Sosuke. What is it?" Shunsui asked.

"We Lieutenants hadn't been told anything about this," Aizen began. "Is it true that Twelfth Squad's Captain Hikifune was promoted and didn't retire?"

"That's right."

"A position higher than captain could only mean she's become part of Central Forty-Six, correct?" Aizen speculated. "But, I've never heard of a captain getting promoted to Central Forty-Six before…"

"It's not Central Forty-Six," Shunsui stated. "She entered the Royal Guard, the Zero Squad."

"The Royal Guard?" Aizen asked in surprise.

"What's all this? Can I get through please?" asked an old yet prideful voice.

Everyone turned to see the captain of Squad Six and the head of the noble Kuchiki Clan, Ginrei Kuchiki. Beside him was the captain of Squad Two and head of the Punishment Force, Yoruichi Shihoin. The two were waiting patiently for the lieutenants to move out of there way.

"Our apologies!" Aizen said quickly and stepped aside, allowing the captains to pass.

"Congratulations," Unohana said sweetly to Yoruichi.

"If you're going to congratulate someone, shouldn't it be the person in question, Captain Unohana?" Yoruichi asked politely before continuing on to the meeting room with Ginrei.

"What's that mean?" Shinji asked as the two passed by.

"You really don't pay attention to anything do you, Shinji," Ryuu said with a sigh. "Yoruichi's former Third Seat is the new Captain of Squad Twelve."

"What? Some Third Seat from the Second Squad is going to become a captain?" Shinji asked in surprise.

"I oversaw his examination myself," Retsu stated. "I can assure you he is qualified."

"How the hell can a Third Seat be qualified?" Shinji asked.

"I guess we'll find out," Ryuu said and continued on to the meeting room with Retsu, hand in hand.

"Those two certainly make a good couple, don't they?" Jushiro asked.

"Sure do," Shunsui said with a nod. "Maybe Lisa and I could become like that some day," he said, placing a hand on Lisa's shoulder. The lieutenant reared her elbow into her captain's stomach earning a groan.

"Let's just get to meeting already," she said impatiently as she continued on with her captain trailing slowly behind her holding his stomach in pain.

Everyone else followed after them to meeting hall were the new captain would soon be inaugurated.

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Each of the captain and their respective lieutenants assembled in the meeting hall. Neither the Head Captain nor the new captain had arrived yet so they decided to talk amongst themselves.

Ryuu and Retsu were discussing their wedding plans with Yoruichi since she volunteered to cater the affair and also agreed to be Retsu's maid of honor. Ryuu had decided to let Retsu make most of the decisions since he didn't care for the details; his only concern was that at the end of their wedding day he would be married to the woman he loved.

The doors to room opened and Captain Kensei Muguruma of Squad Nine entered.

"It looks like the new guy's coming," he announced. "The old man said to line up and wait for him."

The captains did as he said and got into their respective lines, waiting for the new captain to arrive.

For a while they stood in silence, waiting patiently for the remaining captains to arrive. The Head Captain was the first to arrive. He took his seat and waited with the others. It was several more minutes before the sound of footsteps could be heard outside the door. Finally the doors had swung open.

The man that had opened them was not what most of them were expecting. He didn't look like a professional. To some of the captain's, particularly Ginrei, he looked like an imbecile. He had a look of embarrassment on his face as he looked towards all of the other captains.

"Uh oh! Don't tell me I'm the last one to get here?" he said lamely.

"It looks like a real flake's joined us," Ryuu heard Shinji say.

"How nice of you to join us, Kisuke Urahara," Yamamoto said, slightly annoyed at the time it took for the new captain to arrive.

"Sorry, I got caught up with some things and-

"Kisuke!" Yoruichi said loudly. "Shut up and step forward."

Kisuke nodded and walked towards the Head Captain.

"The induction of Kisuke Urahara, former Third Seat of Squad Two, as the captain of Squad Twelve will begin now," Yamamoto stated as he tapped his cane on the floor.

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Once the meeting was over, the captain all filed out of the room and headed back towards there respective squads. Kisuke and Hiyori were about to do so as well, until he was stopped by Shunsui, Jushiro, and Ryuu.

"How may I help you gentlemen?" he asked politely.

"We wanted to know if you would join us for a drink," Shunsui said with a friendly smile.

"We just want to show you that you're among friends," said Jushiro.

"Well, I don't see how I can refuse," Kisuke said cheerily.

"Hey!" Hiyori shouted. "You're supposed to come back to the Squad barracks with me!"

"Oh! I suppose you're right."

"Hiyori, I'm sure you can manage your squad for a few more hours while we show the new captain a good time," Ryuu said evenly.

"We promise we won't take long," Shunsui said.

"Fine," Hiyori grumbled and stomped off.

"She's seems angry," Kisuke said as he watched her leave.

"She just misses her old captain," Ryuu said dismissively.

"Hikifune was like a mother to Hiyori," Jushiro explained.

"I see…" Kisuke mused.

"Well, how about that drink now?" Shunsui said, getting back to the matter at hand.

"Very well, gentlemen, I accept," Kisuke stated and then the four them left.

The four of them made their way to Shunsui's favorite bar in the Seireitei. They had ordered the drinks and Shunsui had offered to pay… well, actually put it on his ever growing tab.

"So do you think you can handle being a captain?" Shunsui asked, after taking the first sip.

"Well, Yoruichi seems to think so," Kisuke answered modestly.

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Ryuu said confidently. "Being captain is not as difficult as it seems."

"How long have you all been captains?" Kisuke asked curiously.

"Shunsui and I have been captain's for over one hundred years now," Jushiro answered. "Ryuu has only been a captain for fifty years."

"It would have been sooner, but all of the positions were taken," Ryuu explained. "So, instead I settled for continuing my training with Head Captain Yamamoto as his lieutenant."

"The Head Captain trained you?" Kisuke asked in surprise.

"All three of us to be exact," Shunsui added.

"I suppose that would make you the strongest captains in the Soul Society," said Kisuke.

"Not necessarily. We're just the most well-trained," Ryuu stated. Then there's my fiancé…" he added with a grin.

"Fiancé? Oh, so you're the one Yoruichi said was marrying Captain Unohana! Congratulations," Kisuke said with friendly smile.

"What a brave man," Shunsui muttered to Jushiro.

"Did you say something, Shunsui?" Ryuu asked gravely.

"Nothing!" Shunsui said quickly after feeling the temperature in the room drop several degrees.

"What can you tell me about my lieutenant, since you seem to now her quite well?" Kisuke asked.

"Hiyori is…" Shunsui began, searching for the right word.

"Aggressive?" Ryuu suggested.

"Temperamental?" Jushiro suggested as well.

"Both of those sound right," Shunsui responded.

"Just don't make her angry," Ryuu advised.

"If she isn't already…" Shunsui added.

"I'll be sure to remember that," Kisuke said, a little unsure.

The three of them continued their friendly meeting for a couple more hours before deciding to call it a day and returned to their squads.

* * *

That night, after spending a few hours of training his squad members, Ryuu made his way to the Fourth Division to be with his fiancé. Retsu was finishing up her paper work when he arrived. He slid his arms around her and kissed her cheek.

"I told you I would stop by," he said with a smile.

"Indeed you did," she answered sweetly.

"Are you almost finished?"

"Just this last one and then I'm done," she said as she continued filling out her last sheet.

"That's good, I want to make sure you have no distractions tonight," he said as he massaged her shoulders.

"We discussed this early today, did we not?" she asked keeping her sweet tone, but not objecting to his contact.

"You said we couldn't be intimate, but you never said we couldn't lie in bed wearing nothing but a smile," he said, his tone playful.

"I suppose I didn't," she said, finishing up writing her last signature. "Very well then," she said as she stood up out of his grip. She made her way towards her room and slid her haori off her shoulders. She looked back at him and winked before stepping into her room.

This was a side of Retsu that only Ryuu saw. She was a sweet an innocent woman at all times, but when they were alone, she emitted a kind of playful, teasing side.

Ryuu followed after her, finding her already untying her obi. Ryuu came up behind her and slowly slid her shihakushō down her shoulders before gently running his fingers up her bare arms. Retsu turned around and removed her husband's haori and then began untying his obi. Ryuu smiled at his wife-to-be and wrapped his arms around her waist before planting a kiss on her lips. Retsu gladly returned his kiss as her arms snaked their way around is neck Once there were both fully undressed, the couple crawled under the covers of Retsu's bed and embraced each other passionately.

"Ryuu, do you really think that we can handle being captains and husband and wife at the same time?" Retsu asked.

"You've been a captain for over a hundred years and I was trained by the best. I'm positive we can manage," he said confidently. Retsu smiled lovingly at him.

"Your confidence is one of the many things I love about you," she said before placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"And there are many things I love about you," he said as he held her against him.

"I can only hope that these peaceful times can last forever," Retsu mused.

"They will, you'll see. You and I will live a long and happy life of marriage."

Retsu seemed satisfied with his response and two laid in bed peacefully with each other blissfully unaware of the events that had been set in motion.

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**I know at the top I basically spoiled the story for you, but just take as a kind of promise that I will get this story finished. But seriously, I was really desperate just to get this story up after a year of planning so don't hold against me that there isn't much in this chapter**. **The story will get better after I get past the Turn Back the Pendulum arc, I promise. Can't say for sure when the next update will be because if you look at my profile and how many stories I have going on now, you'll see that I'm a pretty busy person. That being the case, Merry Christmas everyone!**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER~ I don't Bleach, but you probably already knew that.**

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_Nine years later~_

At the Fifth Squad barracks, every Soul Reaper under the command of Captain Ryuu Hiromasa, was performing their daily training. They had been going since morning until late that afternoon. Some of them were running laps around the division, others were doing simple workouts, and the rest were sparring in the dojo.

Their captain was not among them. He was in his office filling out paper work with his newly appointed Fifth Seat, Rangiku Matsumoto.

"Captain, I'm tired of doing paper work!" the young girl whined.

"You know the arrangement, Rangiku," he reminded her. "Until I can pick a suitable lieutenant, every seated officer takes turns with the paper work."

Rangiku groaned and continued to pout.

"Why did the lieutenant have to go and get himself killed anyway?"

"Do not speak ill of the dead, Rangiku," he chided.

"Sorry, I'm just so bored," she stated in an overly dramatic tone.

"Doing paper is never enjoyable Rangiku, but every captain and lieutenant has to do it. It's what keeps our squads from falling apart."

"But I'm not a lieutenant!" she exclaimed.

"Not yet, but you could be the one I pick," he pointed out.

"Oh joy," she said sarcastically and reluctantly got back to work.

Ryuu smiled at his young Third Seat. Though she complained constantly, Ryuu knew she would be honored to be his lieutenant. He had in fact planned on making her his lieutenant for quite some time. He kept the badge he intended to give her in his desk. That's not to say she didn't need more training, but Ryuu had faith in her abilities.

Ryuu always had an eye for talent. Even the Head Captain said as much and also said it was why Ryuu's squad was the most valuable to the Seireitei. Each and every one of his seated officers and his unseated officers were more than efficient at their jobs and even the unseated officers were qualified for a seated position. Ryuu often encouraged his unseated officers to transfer to other squads so they could receive promotions. Thanks to Ryuu, Squad Five was known as a breeding ground for powerful Soul Reapers.

Ryuu was not one for boasting, but he was quite proud of the fact that he was one of the most revered captains in the Seireitei. Though, this paled in comparison to the pride he felt as the husband to Retsu Unohana. Ryuu and Retsu had married nine years ago, a few months after the promotion of Kisuke Urahara. Their work kept them apart most of the day but they made sure to see each other every night. After nine years of marriage they had just began discussing children. Both spouses thought that they might be too busy for children and thought it might be better to have one or two after they retired. Every day Ryuu thought about names for his sons or daughters and how happy it would make him to see Retsu holding them.

"Emergency! Emergency!" shouted a voice from speakers all throughout the Seireitei, bringing Ryuu out of his thoughts.

"All captains are to report to the First Squad's barracks immediately. An anomaly has occurred with the Ninth Squad. The Ninth Squad's Captain Kensei Muguruma and Lieutenant Mashiro Kuna's spiritual pressure have completely vanished! An emergency meeting of all captains will commence immediately!"

Ryuu's eyes widened in shock and he abruptly stood from his desk and headed for the door.

"Captain, what's going on? Captain?" Rangiku called out as Ryuu left his Squad barracks.

'_I have a bad feeling about all of this. What is happening?' _he thought with worry.

* * *

The captains assembled in the meeting at the Squad One barracks. Only the captains of the Eleventh and Twelfth Division were not present. Yamamoto declared that the matter at hand was far too urgent to wait for either of them.

"This is an emergency!" Yamamoto boomed.

"According to the reports I have just received from the Ninth Squad's reserves, we have lost spiritual pressure- reception from both Captain Kensei Muguruma and Lieutenant Mashiro Kuna, who were out in the field. The cause is unknown," he stated grimly.

"We have entered a worst-case scenario," he continued. "Up until yesterday, these strange events have occurred only in the Rukon District. But now we must solve this matter in order to protect our honor as the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."

Yamamoto tapped his cane on the ground before moving on.

"In response, I shall select five captains to investigate the area of the incident."

Everyone heard the sound of footsteps approaching and turned to see Kisuke Urahara enter the room out of breath.

"You are late, Kisuke Urahara!" Yamamoto said, sternly.

"Please let me go!" Kisuke shouted.

A few of the captains raised the brows at Urahara's sudden request.

"You may not!" Yamamoto said with finality.

"My Lieutenant is heading over there right now! I-"

"Kisuke!" Yoruichi shouted, silencing her former Third Seat.

"You're embarrassing yourself! Get your act together!" she continued. "You ordered you Lieutenant to go didn't you? Don't you see that by acting this way, you're insulting her?"

Kisuke didn't respond and hung his head in shame until Ryuu placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't stand there. Get in line," he said as he guided Kisuke to stand beside him, his tone understanding.

"As I was saying," Yamamoto said, getting back to the matter at hand. "Captain Rojuro Otoribashi of the Third Squad, Captain Shinji Hirako of the Fifth Squad, and Captain Aikawa Love of the Seventh Squad… the three of you shall go and investigate the area. Captain Yoruichi Shihoin of the Second Squad shall stay on standby until further orders are issued. Captain Ginrei Kuchiki of the Sixth Squad, Captain Shunsui Kyoraku of the Eight Squad, Captain Ryuu Hiromasa of the Tenth Squad, and Captain Jushiro Ukitake of the Thirteenth Squad shall protect the Seireitei! Captain Retsu Unohana of the Fourth Squad shall prepare to heal the wounded and wait at the infirmary."

"Just one moment, Head Captain," Retsu spoke up gently. "If I am to heal the injured, would it not be best if I went out into the field as well?"

Ryuu stiffened at her suggestion. Something in the Rukon District had caused the spiritual pressure of a captain and a lieutenant to vanish. The thought of his wife going out there exposed to that same threat was not something he was at all comfortable with. When he saw Yamamoto shake his head, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Since we do not know what is happening, we cannot afford to send the head of the medical corps out into danger. I will be sending someone else," Yamamoto responded.

"Enter!" he boomed.

The double doors opened up at his command revealing two men. One of them was a tan, well built man. He wore glasses and had rather bizarre facial hair. He wore a dark blue robe over his shihakushō and carried a staff rather than a katana. Ryuu recognized him as the Captain of the Kido Corps, Tessai Tsukabishi. The man beside him was very rotund and a little taller than Tessai. His hair and mustache were pink, matching the pink robe he wore over his shihakushō. If Ryuu recalled correctly, the man's name was Hachigen Ushoda.

"Tessai Tsukabishi?" Jushiro said in shock. "It's been a while since he's made a public appearance."

"So this is gonna be pretty big deal, huh?" Shunsui said, tipping his hat.

"It's not every day the Captain of the Kido Corps is called in," Ryuu stated.

"I believe you already know the situation," Yamamoto said to the two men. "I want both of you to go out and investigate."

"Very well," Tessai said with a nod.

"Understood," Hachigen said simply.

Ryuu glance over at Kisuke to see of this news made him any less afraid for his Lieutenants safety. One look at Kisuke's solemn face was enough to tell him that it did not.

"Hey, Old Man Yama!" Shunsui suddenly spoke up, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. "Sorry, but don't you thinks it's a bad idea to send out the Captain and Lieutenant of the Kido Corps when we don't know what's out there?"

"Then what would _you_ do?" Yamamoto asked with an arched brow.

"I'd send out my Lieutenant," Shunsui responded.

"Are you going to get her now?" Jushiro asked.

"Sure am!" Shunsui said with grin, and then he looked over his shoulder out the window. "Hey, Lisa!"

"What?" said Lieutenant asked as she popped up from her spot outside the window.

"See?" Shunsui asked with a smirk.

Ryuu deadpanned at his friend's lackadaisical attitude towards his Lieutenant's eavesdropping habit.

"I told you not to spy on us during meetings, haven't I?" Shunsui asked his subordinate with a frown.

"I can't help it. I'm curious. It's human nature, get over it," Lisa stated defensively.

"You heard?" Shunsui asked, his tone serious.

"Sure did." Lisa responded.

"Can you handle it?"

"You bet!" she said confidently.

"Then please do."

Lisa gave him a thumbs up before vanishing from sight.

"I can't believe you!" Yamamoto said in a mixture of shock and irritation.

"Hey, big happenings like this only come along once in a blue moon," Shunsui said calmly with a grin. "As her superior, I want her to experience this first-hand. You know what I mean right? She'll be fine! Despite her appearance, Lisa is actually pretty strong. So would you let her go in your stead, Captain of the Kido Corps?"

"I don't mind," Tessai answered. "I'm going to take you up on this offer and go back to bed." With that, he left the room.

Yamamoto banged his cane on the ground once more before speaking.

"As such, Rojuro Otoribashi, Shinji Hirako, Love Aikawa, Hachigen Ushoda and Lisa Yadomaru, you are now part of a special squad tasked with discovering the cause of the vanishing souls!"

All the aforementioned captain's and lieutenant nodded and flash stepped out of the room to do as they were ordered.

"Everyone is dismissed!" Yamamoto said with finality. Everyone started filing out of the room. All except for Kisuke who still looked sullen. Ryuu noticed and halted his advance for the door.

"Ryuu, what's wrong?"Retsu asked curiously.

"Nothing's wrong," he replied, putting on a reassuring face for his wife. "I'm just worried about Kisuke."

"What do you mean?"

"He's not at peace with the Old Man's verdict," Ryuu said as he watched Shunsui mutter something into Kisuke's ear. It seemed his friend shared his concerns as well and he figured that was the true reason he sent Lisa to investigate.

"He will be fine," Retsu assured with a sweet smile. "He's a captain; he will pull through."

Her smile always made Ryuu smile back.

"You're right, let's go."

The two left the Squad One barracks and kissed each other good night before returning to their respective squads.

* * *

When Ryuu walked back into his office, he found Rangiku had fallen asleep on her last bit of paperwork. He smiled at the amusing sight and picked the young girl up from her desk into his arms. She stirred, but otherwise remained asleep. He carried her out of his office and brought her to her room where he carefully laid her down on her bed. She nestled against her pillow as Ryuu placed the covers over her and left her to sleep in peace.

He returned to his office and with nothing better to do until he was called into battle, pulled out a pipe and some tobacco from his desk. Ryuu wasn't really much f a smoker, in fact the few times he had actually done it was when something had really unnerved him. This night in particular left him very wary and the tobacco would help calm his nerves. He had gone through great lengths to keep it from Retsu; she would kill him if she found out. He lit the pipe with a match and sat on his windowsill after taking a great exhale of the sweet tobacco.

Back in the Captain's meeting hall, Retsu had managed to put his worrying to rest, at least for a while. Now, however, he found himself worrying all over again. Something, he didn't know what though, did not feel right at all. Not even his pipe seemed to be helping.

He was also worried about Kisuke. Ever since the Twelfth Squad captain's inauguration, the two of them, along with Shunsui and Jushiro, had become very good friends. The look on Kisuke's face back in the meeting hall told Ryuu that Kisuke was not at all satisfied with Yamamoto's ruling and that he felt utterly helpless.

Ryuu decided that perhaps it would be best to check on Kisuke and see if he could pick his friend up somehow. He knew that he was ordered to return to his barracks and stay on standby until further orders, but a few minutes couldn't really hurt, could they?

* * *

After he was sure, everyone had returned to their quarters and all was quiet, Kisuke attempted to sneak out of his squad barracks using a prototype spiritual pressure concealing cloak he had designed. He did not want to defy the Head Captain, but he would not allow Hiyori to be hurt when he was to blame for unknowingly sending her into danger.

He didn't make it far however before he heard a familiar voice.

"You certainly created an unusual item," Tessai said as he appeared from around the corner of the Squad Twelve building. "Why exactly would someone want to create a cloak that completely cuts off their spiritual pressure?"

"A good question, Tessai," came another voice from behind Kisuke. To Kisuke's shock, it was Ryuu's voice. "Would you care to enlighten us Kisuke?"

Kisuke only cuckled.

"Whoops! Looks like you two caught me!" he said, feigning surprise. "Though, I'm most surprised to find you here, Ryuu."

"Give me a little more credit Kisuke. We are friends after all," Ryuu stated casually. "I was worried so I came to check up on you. It was only by chance that I ran into Tessai and he told me that he was concerned for you as well."

"Well I certainly appreciate your concern, Ryuu," Kisuke said with a grin.

"Are you going after your lieutenant?" Tessai asked, bringing Kisuke's attention back to him.

Kisuke did not respond, but both Ryuu and Tessai knew that the answer was obvious.

"I thought that this might happen the moment I set eyes on you at the barracks," Tessai stated.

"I'm impressed," Kisuke replied.

"We lived together in Lady Yoruichi's manor," Tessai reminded him. "Did you truly believe that I wouldn't figure it out?"

"Could you two let me slip by?" Kisuke asked.

"That is a difficult request," Tessai answered.

Neither man said anything for a few seconds. Both Ryuu and Tessai knew that at it was very possible that they would have to subdue Kisuke to keep him from making what could be the biggest mistake of his life.

"I can't let you go out there on your own!" Tessai stated.

Kisuke gasped lightly in surprise. He had expected them to stop him or turn him in for disobeying orders.

"I also feel a great fear tonight," Tessai continued. Then he extended his hand to Kisuke. "Come! Let's hurry together! We must find them!"

Kisuke grinned at his old friend and the turned to face Ryuu.

"And what about you, Ryuu?" he asked. "Will you try to stop us?"

"I'm not that foolish," Ryuu responded with a light grin. "Something about this whole night has been bothering me," he said, his tone now serious. "We've already lost Kensei. I can't stand by and allow more of my comrades to fall. That's why I'm going with you."

Kisuke smiled in gratitude t his friend and nodded.

"Then let's go!"

* * *

**Basically this was a word for word copy of episode of 210 with a few of my own additions involving my OC. I don't really have much planed for this first half of the story, I just want to get through it and get to the parts I'm really excited to write like The Ryoka Invasion arc so I apologize if these early chapters are not too exciting.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**** Well, here we are for chapter three. After a two months of being unable to access the files on my old laptop's hardrive, I've finally managed to get back to writing this story.**

**Anyway, about the last chapter… I will admit: it was ****awful****. I'm trying very hard to get past this first arc so I can get on to the parts of this story that I really want to write. I have most of this story's entire plot planned out, but I'm wondering if I should do some of the "anime-only" arcs. I'll probably put up a poll on my profile later, but feel free to let me know what you think ahead of time if you like. I may end up not doing the Bount arc regardless of opinions because it was awful- aside from Mayuri vs. Bount fight- and I don't feel like watching that pathetic excuse for an "anime exclusive" arc again.**

**DISCLAIMER~ I honestly don't know if I should do these every chapter or not. You people know the truth already; I don't own a thing other than my OC.**

* * *

Words could not describe the amount of pain, Shinji Hirako felt. The white tar-like goop that was slowly spreading both outside and inside his body was burning all that it touched as it slowly began to harden. He let out deep pants to help fight his urge to vomit as he felt the white substance slither down his throat.

For a moment, he had hope that he could have beaten the three men in front of him with the new boost in power the Hollowfication process had given him, but the feeling of power was quickly replaced by fatigue and nausea.

Behind him, his comrades were going through the same Hollowfication process, but with the good fortune of being unconscious and unaware of the pain. They had been blindsided by that traitorous bastard, Tosen.

Tosen, however, was just one of three bastards that stood before Shinji. The real kick in the balls for him was that two of them were from his own division. He knew he couldn't trust Sosuke Aizen and the weird grinning Ichimaru kid always unnerved him with that freaky grin of his.

"You've been most fascinating to watch," Aizen said with a serene smile. "But I'm done with you now. Let's put an end to this, Captain Hirako."

Shinji could only glare.

"Here's one last thing for you to learn," Aizen said as he slowly drew his zanpakutō. "There is no fear when one expects to be betrayed. What's truly terrifying is when betrayal is unexpected, Captain Hirako."

"Farewell," he said as he raised his zanpakutō in the air. "You made wonderful test samples."

Shinji couldn't believe this as happening. This was how it was going to end. He and his comrades were going to die at the hands of Aizen. Rose, Love, Lisa, Kensei, Mashiro, Hachi, Hiyori…he failed them.

"Damn it!" he shouted helplessly.

Just as Aizen was about to bring down Kyoka Suigetsu, he felt a familiar spiritual pressure. He turned his head to see a black cloaked figure come charging at him with a zanpakutō. He managed to evade the strike, but his lieutenant's badge was slashed off. The momentary surprise passed however and was once again replaced by that calm smile of his.

"Ah, I see…" Aizen muttered. "We have even more interesting guests. How may I help you, Captain Urahara, Captain Tsukabishi, Captain Hiromasa?"

"Do not play coy or stupid, Lieutenant; you can afford neither right now," Ryuu said with a glare.

"Uh-oh! They found us!" Gin said, the usual grin an indication that he wasn't concerned about being discovered in the least.

"Explain yourselves, the three of you! Now!" Ryuu ordered, his hand reaching for his zanpakuto.

"How dare you speak to Lord Aizen like that!" Tosen growled as he grabbed the hilt of his zanpakuto. "I'll kill you!"

"No there's no need," Aizen said calmly.

"But-!"

"Kaname, I said there is no need," Aizen repeated with a sideways glance at Tosen.

The three captains were surprised to see that a single glance was able to strike so much fear into Tosen and send him to one knee.

"Yes, sir! Please forgive my impudence!"

"K-Kisuke…Ryuu!"

The captains turned to see what looked like Shinji Hirako struggling to stand on his own two feet.

"Why…are you two here?" he asked in between pained gasps. "You idiots!"

"What's with that horrific mask?" Kisuke asked as if there was nothing wrong with the current situation.

"You the new look doesn't suit you, Shinji," Ryuu asked with a small smirk. Despite the amount of pain he was most likely in, Shinji laughed.

"Tell me about it," he said.

"Kisuke, look," Ryuu said whilst pointing to a familiar body. It was Hiyori's.

Kisuke didn't say anything once he saw his lieutenant lying motionless on the ground and for a moment all was quiet.

"Lieutenant Aizen!" Kisuke spoke up suddenly.

"Yes sir?" Aizen asked dutifully.

"I believe Captain Hiromasa told you to explain what it is you are doing here."

"Why nothing," Aizen answered innocently. "As you can see, I just so happened to have stumbled upon the investigation teams, which were apparently injured in battle. I was going to try to heal their wounds."

"You two-faced sack of shit!" Shinji spat.

"I told you not play stupid with us, lieutenant!" Ryuu reprimanded.

"Why are you lying to us?" Kisuke asked evenly.

"Lying?" Aizen asked, keeping his façade of innocence. "Is there something wrong with Lieutenant trying to save his captain?"

"No, that's not what I meant," Kisuke said. "They were injured in battle you say? You call that injured? There's no lying your way out of this. They've been Hollowfied."

Ryuu, Tessai and Shinji looked to Kisuke in surprise. How did he know the nature of their injuries they wondered?

"The case of the vanishing souls…" Kisuke continued. "Several of our subordinates vanished one after the next, all leading up to this. The only possible cause of this…is Hollowfication research. Someone was conducting experiments, but considering our current situation, there's no longer any doubt as to who that someone was."

"I see…," Aizen said, his tone contemplative. "You truly are the type of man I believed you to be."

"I am happy that you came by here this evening," he continued as he sheathed his sword and then he turned to the two behind him. "Gin, Kaname, we've accomplished enough for now. Let's go."

With that, he began walking away, followed by his two men.

"Wait, Aizen," Kisuke shouted. "We're not done here!"

"Please move, Captain Urahara!" Tessai shouted suddenly.

Kisuke looked back and saw Tessai raise his hand and felt a powerful surge of spiritual energy. Without another thought he quickly retreated a safe distance.

"Hado#88: Hiryugekizokushintenraiho!" Tessai yelled.

Ryuu watched as a large bright blue beam of electricity and spirit energy burst forth from Tessai's palm. He knew of this technique, though he himself had not yet mastered it, but to see it performed by a true master of Kido was nothing short of amazing. He could feel the raw power from the attack even after moving away from Tessai after he warned Kisuke and that raw power was heading straight for Aizen and his two subordinates.

Before the beam could make contact with Aizen, however, Ryuu saw a familiar transparent barrier rise at the last second. Upon collision a massive explosion erupted, reducing anything within its radius to ashes and rubble while the force of blast sent dust and debris every which way.

"Impossible!" Tessai exclaimed in shock. "A lieutenant skipped the incantation for "Danku" and still stopped my spell?"

When the flames and dust settled, the "Danku" shattered and Aizen was already long gone.

"My greatest apologies, but it would appear he got away," Tessai said regrettably.

"He's more powerful than he appears," Ryuu said. Not even his last lieutenant was able to use "Danku".

"What on earth is he…?" Kisuke though aloud.

The three of them suddenly heard a pained yell from behind them. They all turned to see that Shinji's mask was spreading further along his body. The three captains ran towards their comrade to see if there was any way to help him.

"We can deal with Aizen later," Tessai stated. "Captain Urahara, please help Captain Hirako and the others!"

"It's no good; the Hollowfication process has advanced too far for me to help them here!" Kisuke explained.

"Kisuke, just how much do you know about this?" Ryuu asked curiously. "In all my years as a Soul Reaper, I've never once heard of this "Hollowfication", but you seem to know quite a bit about it. And if that's true, than you must know a way to cure it. Am I right?"

For a moment Kisuke didn't respond. He almost looked ashamed.

"I know a way," he admitted finally. "But it's a gamble."

"At least it's better than nothing," Tessai said as he stood and moved a few feet to the side and faced the bodies of the Hollowfied soul reapers. "I'm going to carry all eight of them just as they are back to the Twelfth Squad barracks. We'll save them with whatever equipment you have there."

"Just as they are?" Kisuke asked curiously. "How can you do that?"

"I'll have to freeze time and teleport us," Tessai answered.

"Forbidden Kido…" Ryuu said knowingly.

Tessai looked back to him and nodded in the affirmative.

"Those who use them are severely punished. I insist that you close your eyes and plug your ears," Tessai said as he cupped his hands together. Once he separated them, a greenish, rectangular-shaped mass of spiritual energy formed and slowly glowed brighter and brighter. Ryuu and Tessai would have closed their eyes, but they were both too amazed at what was happening before them. Soon the ground beneath their feet started to glow and finally a great green flash erupted from beneath them causing them to shield their eyes. After a second or two, both captains opened their eyes and were shocked beyond words to find themselves in Kisuke's lab. The eight Hollowfied soul reapers had been brought with them the same way they were found on the ground in the Rukon District just as Tessai said. Even the soil and rocks from the Rukon were brought with them.

"The Old Man always told me of this technique and what it could do," Ryuu mused out loud, "but never once did I think I would see it performed. I'm… at a loss really."

"Indeed…" Kisuke agreed.

The Twelfth Squad captain quickly got over his fascination and got back to the task at hand.

"Hollowfication is one of the answers I stumbled upon while researching how to strengthen a soul reaper's soul," Kisuke began as he walked over to safe on the wall. "During the course of my research, I created something that can temporarily break the barrier between Hollows and Soul Reapers to create a new being. That is what I'll use to treat Captain Hirako and the others," he said as he punched in a few keys and opened the safe.

"What is this object?" Tessai asked curiously.

Kisuke pulled something out of the safe and turned to Ryuu and Tessai. In his hand was a cloth, but both men could see the small mound beneath it.

"I call it the Hougyoku," Kisuke said as he removed the cloth. In his hands was a spherical glass container that contained a small orb with a bright ethereal glow.

"Hougyoku?" Tessai queried.

As Ryuu looked at the object, he felt himself tense up. There was a power emanating from the orb, the Hougyoku. It felt like spiritual pressure, but it was…abnormal It felt as if it was...alive somehow. Whatever it was, it caused small beads of sweat to trickle down Ryuu's forehead. He felt a tinge of fear well up inside him the longer he stared at the object.

'_What have you created, Kisuke?" _he thought to himself.

"Can we save them with this?" Tessai asked.

"As I said before: it is a gamble," Kisuke stated. "Captain Hirako and the others have, at best, a twenty percent chance of surviving after we use the Hougyoku."

Tessai and Ryuu gasped. Twenty percent was not a very reassuring number.

"If Lieutenant Aizen was behind the vanishing souls," Kisuke continued, "he probably didn't anticipate the process might be reversible. We can't heal them without this."

* * *

The next morning in, when Ryuu awoke in Kisuke's lab, he found himself sitting across from Shinji…or what once was Shinji it seemed. The captain of Squad five was leaning motionless against the wall with a full mask covering his face. Ryuu couldn't sense any spiritual pressure from him of any of the others that were lying on the ground.

Ryuu looked to see that Tessai was still awake and meditating and Kisuke had just woken up, his face forlorn.

"I'm sorry, Ryuu, Tessai," he said sadly. "We failed."

Ryuu hung his head in respect for his fallen comrades while Tessai remained silent. Both of them new Kisuke had done all that he could to save the others, but he told them right from the get-go it was only a small chance of success. Neither one blamed their friend for what had happened.

"I'm going to get some fresh air," Kisuke said as he headed towards the door.

Ryuu slowly followed to check on his friend. He found Kisuke standing in the middle of the courtyard with his head hung. Ryuu placed a comforting hand on Kisuke's shoulder.

"Don't blame yourself," he said.

"I just wish there's was something more I could have done," Kisuke said with a sad sigh.

"The way I see it Kisuke, you did everything in your power to save them and I wouldn't expect any less of you."

"Thank you, Ryuu," Kisuke said, with a weak smile.

"Don't mention it," Ryuu said, smiling back. "Let's just make sure the one responsible for this pays."

Ryuu had already decided on going straight to the Head Captain with their findings. With what they knew, they could put Aizen and his lackeys in prison for a very long time.

Before he couldn't even propose his plan to Kisuke, however, they were suddenly surrounded by over a dozen soul reapers with their weapons drawn.

"What's go on?" Kisuke asked in surprise.

"Captain Ryuu Hiromasa of Squad Ten, Captain Kisuke Urahara of Squad Twelve, and Captain Tessai Tsukabishi of the Kido Corps!" One of them spoke up. "Central Forty-Six has ordered that you be placed under compulsory detainment!"

"Under what charges?" Ryuu demanded. The soul reaper ignored his demand.

"Captain Hiromasa, Head Captain Yamamoto has asked us to bring you directly to him, before your court martial."

"Court martial?"

"I will accompany you!" the soul reaper exclaimed.

It seemed Ryuu didn't have much choice. They had already went into the lab and capped Tessai in irons and were doing the same to Kisuke. Neither of them would get the chance to speak to the Head Captain before their trial, he knew. It was up to him. He had to get answers from his old master and present his findings from the night before.

* * *

Ryuu had been brought to the Head Captain's office with accompaniment of two of the soul reapers that had arrived to arrest him, Kisuke and Tessai. The old man was looking out at the Seireitei from the balcony in his office. The two soul reapers bowed to their superior officers and quietly left the room.

"Do you know why you are here?" Yamamoto asked, turning to look at Ryuu.

"I've demanded the answer to that question from my escorts and received none," Ryuu said irately.

"It has come to my attention that last night three soul reapers had attacked the team I dispatched to investigate the case of the missing souls."

Ryuu sighed in relief.

"Then you already know about what happened. But then did you have me arrested and why am I scheduled for a court martial?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," Yamamoto said, raising a single brow. Ryuu looked to his former teacher in confusion.

"What are you saying? Are you accusing me of what has happened?" Ryuu demanded.

"We have a witness that puts you at the scene of the crime," the ancient man said, his tone filled with authority.

"Who? Is it Sosuke Aizen?" Ryuu demanded once more.

"That is none of your concern," the old man said.

"So it was him," Ryuu said, already knowing the answer. "You cannot trust him. I saw what happened; he was there last night!"

"So you admit to disobeying my orders to remain within the Seireitei," Yamamoto said with a glare.

"Yes," Ryuu said with an annoyed tone. "I left and if I hadn't we might not have been able to save the others!"

"We? You mean you and your conspirators Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi?"

"We conspired nothing! We left to try and save our comrades!" Ryuu shouted.

"Our witness says otherwise," the old man said, looking away from the man and out the window. "He claims that he arrived just in time to find you, Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi Hollowfying four captains and four lieutenants."

"He's lying! He's the one who did it; he and his subordinates- the Third Seat of his squad, Gin Ichimaru, and Kaname Tosen of Squad Nine."

"Bold claims… but where is the evidence to prove them?" Yamamoto inquired.

"I wouldn't lie to you, Master!" Ryuu exclaimed in desperation. It had been many years since he called the old man 'Master'.

The look on Yamamoto's face became a sullen one.

"I want to believe you, Ryuu, I really do, but the evidence does not support your testament. I'll be the first to admit it: you are one of the Seireitei's best captains. That is why I had you brought to me and not sent directly to a court martial like Kisuke Urahara."

"You'd let those old fools at Central Forty-Six determine a man's innocence?" Ryuu asked in shock.

"Those 'old fools', as you call them, are what keep the Seireitei from falling into chaos," the ancient man said with a scowl.

"No they don't! They're cowards who hide behind the Thirteen Court Guard Squads like a shield and then use us as a sword to carry out their ridiculous laws. Only you have the authority to overturn a command from them, but instead you follow their rules blindly like some damned dog! Use your reason, Master Yamamoto!" Ryuu begged.

"Enough!" Yamamoto bellowed. "I offer you a chance to give your side of the story and yet you insult our laws and my authority. These are treasonous acts and will tolerate them no longer!"

"You are blind, old man! Blind!" Ryuu shouted angrily.

"Silence!" Yamamoto shouted, slamming his cane on the floor. "Until we can determine a proper sentence for your treason, you are to be imprisoned! Your will be stripped of your authority and rank!"

"Let me save you the trouble," Ryuu spat as he grabbed a handful of his captain's haori and ripped right off his body and threw it onto the floor. Then he turned his back on Yamamoto and headed for the door.

"Retsu would be ashamed of you, Ryuu!" Yamamoto said to the retreating captain's back.

Ryuu stopped for a moment at the mention of Retsu. He clenched his fists in anger until his knuckles turned white. Then without saying a word, he left the room.

He expected to find the same soul reapers that had escorted him ready to bring him to the directly to bring him to the Central Forty-Six chambers, but instead he found them lying on the ground unconscious. He felt a hand grab his wrist and then felt the familiar feeling of a flash step.

He found himself standing in an unfamiliar rocky area. His hand instantly reached for his zanpakuto as he turned to face whoever it was that brought him there. He was surprised to find himself facing the woman that had helped plan his wedding.

"Yoruichi? What the hell is going on?"

"Is that how you greet someone that just saved you from imprisonment," the captain of Squad Two with a smug smirk.

"Save me?" Ryuu asked in confusion. "You want to help me?"

He had expected that any upstanding captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads would turn him in, even Shunsui and Jushiro.

"Not just you," she said and pointed to the side. Ryuu was shocked to see Kisuke, Tessai, and all the Hollowfied captains and lieutenants.

"What's going on? Where are we anyway?"

"We're in a training facility I built in secret?" Kisuke answered. "It completely hides a soul reaper's spiritual pressure from the outside. Yoruichi saved Tessai and I from our court martials and brought the bodies of Shinji and the others here as well."

Ryuu was shocked to say the least. HE looked to Yoruichi for answers, but she just shrugged and gave him that same mischievous smile.

"I've known Kisuke and Tessai for many years," she said, "and I _know _they are innocent. I also know you wouldn't do any of the things you were accused either; Retsu would kill you before your court martial even started."

Despite the situation, Ryuu found himself laughing a little.

"So what's the plan now?" Ryuu asked curiously.

"We have to leave," Yoruichi said, her smile vanishing.

"What? We can't leave! We need to stop Aizen!"

"And how would you like us to do that?" Yoruichi questioned. "The old man didn't believe you, one of his own students. And even if Central Forty-Six considered the notion of believing us, they would still have Shinji and the others executed for what they now are."

Ryuu opened his mouth to rebuke her statement, but found that she spoke the truth. If Yamamoto didn't believe him, Central Forty-Six wouldn't even consider his innocence and as for the Hollowfied soul reapers, even though what had been done to them was an injustice, all they would see were soul reapers with the masks of their enemies and that alone would be enough to have them killed.

"We have a plan," Kisuke took over. "Tessai will freeze time in this area and within the next twenty-four hours, I will make faux bodies for each and every one of us that will completely cut off our spiritual pressure. We'll use them to hide in the world of the living until we can come up with a way to solve this problem. We'll find a way to reverse Hollowfication!" he declared.

"What about Aizen?" Ryuu asked.

"He'll have to wait," Kisuke said with a sigh. "I don't like this anymore than you do, Ryuu, but like it or not, we're fugitives now. There's is nothing we can do at this time."

Ryuu looked away from all of them and thought to himself silently.

"You're asking me to abandon much," he said. "My squad, my home, my friends… my wife."

"The choice is yours, Ryuu," Kisuke said. "I will not force you to leave."

Ryuu stayed silent for several more moments, seeming deep in thought. His thoughts went directly to Retsu. He didn't want to leave her. He had always told her that they would be together forever and now he was forced to go back on his word. His thoughts turned to the person who was to blame for this whole situation: Aizen. Because of his treachery, Ryuu was faced the ultimatum of leaving everything he held dear for an undetermined amount of time or spending the rest of his life in prison, if not being executed for Aizen's lies. After several minutes, Ryuu made his decision.

"I'll go with you."

"Are you sure about this?" Yoruichi asked.

"I am," he answered. "Whether I stay or not, I will be declared a traitor. I will not have my wife see me in prison for another man's treachery. If I go with you, I believe I have the chance of one day proving my innocence."

"Alright then," Kisuke said with a nod. "We have a lot of work to do. Do it, Tessai."

The Kido Corps captain nodded and readied the same spell he had performed only hours before.

Ryuu sat against a rock and waited patiently while Kisuke got to work on creating the faux bodies. His thoughts once again drifted to his wife's face. How long would it be before he saw her again? He had no way of knowing the answer. All he could do was wait and hope he could come up with a plan to expose Aizen. He could only Retsu would forgive when…if he returned.

'_I'm sorry, my love.'_

* * *

**Finally! The Turn Back the Pendulum arc is over! Just another step closer to the meat of this story. **

**Since it's been a while since this story has seen an update, it would be nice of some of you could leave a review to let me know what you think about this chapter or even the story as a whole.**

**Till next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Sorry this took so long; I just finished up everything having to do with school and my Dragon Age story took a little longer than necessary to write. But here we are for the Agent of the Shinigami arc, which I'm going to try to shorten to three to four chapters minimum. When Ryuu gets to the Soul Society is when things get the most exciting.**

**DISCLAIMER~ Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo. I only own my OC, Ryuu Hiromasa, and a wall scroll that I bought a year ago and still have not hung up.**

* * *

"Ow! That hurts, Jinta!" Ururu Tsumigiya cried as Jinta Hanakari prodded her with a broom.

"Then stop telling me how to work!" the red-haired boy shouted.

"JINTA!" a voice boomed.

Jinta froze in fear at the voice. It wasn't Tessai's voice; he didn't get this scared when he heard Tessai's voice. There was only one person at the Urahara Shop that could strike this kind of terror into him. He slowly turned his head to look at the figure that towered him menacingly.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ryuu asked with a glare.

"N-Nothing, Mr. Hiromasa!" Jinta said as tried unsuccessfully to hide the broom behind his back from the much taller male.

Ryuu held out his hand to Jinta who fearfully handed to the broom to Ryuu. Ryuu quickly slammed the handle of the broom against Jinta's head. The boy shouted in pain and rubbed the spot on his head that the broom had hit. The broom was then tossed back to him.

"Sweep," Ryuu demanded.

"Yes sir!" Jinta said and quickly got back to work.

"You can get back to work now, Ururu," Ryuu said, in a much more polite tone.

"Yes, Mr. Hiromasa," she said shyly and resumed sweeping the lot.

Ryuu stood back against the wall of the "Urahara Shop" while the children swept. He often wondered why Kisuke bothered to have them clean the lot, since they hardly ever had any business. Their location was practically unknown to the population of Karakura Town, aside from the few odd curious wonderers. He could never understand why Kisuke decided to open a candy store of all things, but Kisuke was always the eccentric one.

The candy was just a front, however. The store's true purpose was to cater to the needs of Soul Reapers. It was also where Kisuke kept a hidden lab and an underground training area that the store's tenants made good use of, Ryuu most of all.

Sometimes Ryuu found it hard to believe that he had been living in there for the last century. Adapting to human life had not been easy for him. He spent the first half of the century pressing Kisuke to come up with a plan to go after Aizen and clear their names, but every time the genius former captain of Squad Twelve told him that there was very little they could do. After that Ryuu, stopped waiting for Kisuke to come up with a plan and dedicated his time to constant training and preparation becoming even stronger than he had been a hundred years ago. If he had to storm the Seireitei himself to kill Aizen he would; he would not be separated from the ones he loved for another century.

'_Retsu…'_

Ryuu's thoughts always drifted to his wife when he thought of invading the Soul Society. He had not seen her for a whole century and every day he thought about her. Of course, he missed Shunsui and Jushiro, friends that were as close as brothers to him, but he missed Retsu the most. Every time Yoruichi went out to scout the Soul Society for Kisuke, Ryuu would always her to check on his wife. He worried constantly about how she was doing, did she still love him, did she hate him, or worse: had she found someone else. Luckily, Yoruichi always assured him that the last one was not true. Still, the thought of his wife no longer loving him was heartbreaking. He needed to get stronger and he needed to do it fast if he was ever going to clear his name and get back home.

Sometimes he felt like he was the only one who truly wanted to get back home. Kisuke and Tessai had seemed to have had adapted to life in the World of the Living. Yoruichi traveled back in forth between the two worlds enough to get her fill of each. Then there was Shinji and the others.

After they had made it to the World of the Living Shinji and the other captain's and lieutenants had been explained what had happened. They didn't take the news of their apparent betrayal and execution order very well. When Ryuu expressed a desire to return and clear his name, he asked if Shinji would help. Shinji had stated that they were indeed enemies of Aizen, for he was the one who destroyed their lives. However, Shinji also stated that regardless of whether their names were their names were cleared or not he and the other Hollowfied captains and lieutenants would never be welcome back as long as Central Forty-Six made the laws and as long as Yamamoto blindly followed them to the letter. Ryuu couldn't help by agree. Thus, Shinji and the others formed their own society of Soul Reapers that had acquired hollow powers; Visoreds they called themselves.

"Mr. Hiromasa?"

The sound of Tessai's voice snapped Ryuu out of his thoughts. Ryuu turned to look at the taller, bulkier Kido master.

"Did I keep you waiting long?" Tessai asked politely.

"Not at all, Tessai," Ryuu said donning a smile.

"Well, thank you for keeping them working while I got ready," Tessai said. "Will you make it to your first class in time?"

"I should be able to," Ryuu said with a shrug as he picked up the gym bag that he left by the front door to the shop.

"Have a good day, Tessai," Ryuu said as he left the lot.

"Take care, Mr. Hiromasa."

Ryuu checked his watch as he walked down the sidewalks of Karakura Town. On the streets, he seemed to fit in with the rest of the general populace wearing an ordinary white t-shirt that hugged his muscular torso, a pair of faded blue jeans, and some old tan work boots. His once long straight hair was now much shorter and wavy and he allowed a small stubble to grow along his jawline.

His watched read that it was about twenty of four, which gave him plenty of time to get to the dojo for his first class. Around ten years ago, he took up a job as the karate instructor at the dojo near Karakura high school. He took the job in order to pay Kisuke a monthly rent for his stay at the shop. Even though his old friend refused on several occasions, Ryuu believed it was the least he could do for Kisuke for allowing him to live in his shop.

He also took the job because he enjoyed teaching people the art of combat. Just like in the Soul Society, his ability to make the weakest man into a deadly fight force was something he took great pride in. Of course he knew that human strength was limited and there was only so much he could teach them, but if he had to spend his time in the World of the Living, he was going to leave an impression.

By the time he arrived at the dojo a few of his students were waiting outside for him. He instructed them to run through some drills while he changed into his karate gi.

Of all his students, only one showed great promise. Her name was Tatsuki Arisawa. She had been Ryuu's students for over ten years and had been the best student he had ever had since he started working at the dojo. A couple of years ago he had helped her train for a karate tournament in Tokyo. They spent months preparing and going through drills and both were assured of victory. By the third round of the tournament, Tatsuki had suffered a broken arm, but refused to drop out of the tournament and successfully managed to defeat her opponent in the second round. In the end she ended up taking second place in the tournament after sustaining further injury to her arm. She had been distraught over her defeat, but Ryuu assured her that victory wasn't always certain and sometimes all it came down to was chance. Bad luck had caused Tatsuki's broken arm and yet she perservered and Ryuu had expected no less of her.

As soon as the students caught sight of him in his gi, they immediately quieted down and sat on the mat.

"Today, I want to see how much you've all improved this month," he said. "All of you will be squaring off against one another and will fight until you are no longer able to or until I say the fight is over."

He heard a few groans from some of his weaker students and looked to Tatsuki for her reaction. She had a look of raw determination in her eyes as always. Today, Ryuu could expect no less than a hundred and ten percent from her.

He called out the names of his students one by one and set up the matches. He watched each match with a critical eye. Some of his students met his expectation while most did not. He would have to put them through the ringer in the next class.

Finally, Tatsuki's match came up. Ryuu had pitted her against the second best student in his class, an older boy named Hatano. Tatsuki didn't give an inch throughout the whole fight. Every attack sent her way was countered or blocked and every move she made connected. She finished the with a powerful roundhouse kick to Hatano's head.

Everyone applauded Tatsuki's victory, including Ryuu. It was then he decided to test his students even further.

"Many of you did well today," he began, "but I've got one final challenge before you leave: who here thinks they have what it takes to knock me down?"

He smirked inwardly when he saw a few students take a few steps back in fear. This was the man that demanded perfection from them each and every class and was very difficult to please; what chance did any of them have against him.

"I will accept your challenge, sensei!" Tastuki said confidently. Ryuu knew she wouldn't let him down.

Both of them stepped into the ring, faced each other and took up there stances. Ryuu had to give Tatsuki credit; even though Ryuu stood over a full foot taller than Tatsuki, and boasted a well above average physique, Tatsuki didn't look the least bit intimidated.

Tatsuki made the first move. She sent a jabbed towards Ryuu's chest which, he swatted away with his arm. Tatsuki continued with a cross, but Ryuu slapped her fist down and sent his left palm into her chest. Tatsuki backed away to catch the breath that had been knocked out of her by her sensei's powerful hand before coming back a Ryuu with a roundhouse kick. Ryuu effortlessly ducked under the kick and performed a sweep kick that sent Tatsuki falling to the ground.

"Not bad Miss Arisawa," Ryuu said with a smile as he offered and hand to help Tatsuki up. "You actually managed to get a third move in this time."

Tatsuki accepted Ryuu's hand and stood.

"Thank you, sensei. I'll get a forth one in next time," she said confidently.

"I have no doubt of that, Miss Arisawa. See you all next week."

Everyone slowly filed out of the room and back to the locker rooms. Ryuu returned to his office to change as well. It was only six o'clock and he wanted to get in a few rounds with Tessai before the day was up. Maybe Yoruichi would come back from her trip to the Soul Society tonight.

"_Sokatsui!_" Tessai shouted as he thrust his palm forward sending a blue burst of spiritual energy towards Ryuu. Both men were sparring in the training area beneath Kisuke's shop.

"_Bakudo#21, Sekienton!_" Ryuu shouted.

A plume red smoke erupted around him completely maksing his presence. Tessai's Sokatsui rocketed through the smoke and hit a large boulder that Ryuu had been standing in front of, but Ryuu was no longer anywhere in sight. Tessai looked confused for a moment until he heard a voice above him. The man had flash stepped out of the way of Tessai's kido the second after he used _"Sekienton"_

"_Hado#35, Kongobaku!" _A large sphere of red energy had formed around Ryuu's hand and the for captain flung it at Tessai.

"_Bakudo#39, Enkosen!" _Tessai thrust both his palms forward and a dull yellow shield formed in front of them. The _"Kongobaku" _collided with the shield and exploded on impact.

When the smoke cleared, Ryuu saw that Tessai's shield had several cracks in it, but had not shattered. He berated himself for that as he landed back on the ground.

Ryuu remembered a hundred years ago when Tessai, the strongest Kido practitioner in the Soul Society, had unleashed his _"Hiryugekizokushintenraiho"_ on Aizen and the lieutenant was able to effortlessly stop the attack with _"Danku"_ without even looking. That kind of power was beyond Ryuu. Even Kisuke had assumed that, at that time, Aizen was at the captain level and most likely more than efficient in all forms of combat. Now, one hundred years later, Ryuu seriously doubted Aizen had sat around doing nothing. That bastard was now no doubt twice as powerful as was back then.

Ryuu fully anticipated doing battle with Aizen upon his return to the Soul Society and if he wanted to stand any chance of surviving the fight, he had to be stronger than he had ever been. His friends had agreed to help him train for that battle. Yoruichi had taught him the more advanced techniques in Hoho and had been helped him improve his Hakuda skills. When Kisuke, he helped Ryuu with being able to think on his feet, since the former scientist explained that Aizen was utterly unpredictable and Ryuu would need to learn how to adapt if Aizen ever initiated some hidden plot during a battle. Tessai, was responsible for improving Ryuu's Kido skills as they were his weakest area. In a hundred years, Ryuu had come very far and had improved vastly, but still he felt it wasn't enough.

"I see you training with Yoruichi has helped you come up with new ways to use Kido," Tessai observed. "Using _'Sekienton' _and _'Kongobaku'_ in rapid succession like that was quite clever."

"I need to do better," Ryuu stated tersely.

"Mr. Hiromasa, even if you don't master Kido, your combat skills are exceptional," Tessai said, trying to placate Ryuu.

"Do you remember what Shinji told us about Aizen's zanpakuto, Tessai?"

Tessai nodded.

"My combat skills are going to do no good against complete control over the five senses. I need to make sure my first attack is the last one. And if that fails, I need to make sure he doesn't get the opportunity to activate his shikai."

"Well, if you feel so strongly about it, then perhaps we should continue?" Tessai said casually as he rolled his shoulders.

"Mr. Hiromasa?" Ryuu turned to the familiar meek voice of Ururu who had been waiting patiently for the two men to finish their conversation.

"Yes, Ururu?"

"Miss Yoruichi is back," the little girl stated.

"Really?" Ryuu asked growing anxious. "I'm sorry, Tessai, can we continue this some other time?"

"Of course, whenever you like," Tessai said with a nod.

Ryuu left the training area and headed outside into the cool night air. He looked to the side and saw a black cat with familiar golden eyes walk up to him.

"When did you get back?" Ryuu asked curiously.

"About an hour ago," the cat answered in a male voice. Ryuu never figured out how she was able to alter her voice like that.

"Did you learn anything new about Aizen?"

"Nothing special," Yoruichi answered. "He has made no new moves. He seems to be very well liked in the Seireitei."

"Bastard's got them all fooled," Ryuu said scornfully. "What about Yamamoto?"

"Still as hardheaded as always," Yoruichi replied.

"Shunsui and Jushiro?"

"Why do you always do this, Ryuu? Just ask me what you really want to know."

Ryuu took a long sigh and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He stuck one in his mouth and pulled a lighter from his pocket and set the stick aflame. He took a long, almost desperate inhale and then quickly expelled the smoke from his lungs.

"You really shouldn't do that," Yoruichi commented.

"Yeah…I hear these are bad for you," Ryuu said sarcastically.

After Ryuu arrived in the World of the Living, his smoking habit grew exponentially worse. Back in the Soul Society, he only smoked to calm his nerves and very rare occasions. Over the last century, his smoke sessions grew more frequent. Every time Yoruichi came back and she and Ryuu began their conversations about Retsu, Ryuu would instantly reach for a cigarette.

"Do you really think those help?" Yoruichi asked curiously.

"…I have to," Ryuu responded after another drag from his cigarette.

"As you wish…" Yoruichi said and then waited patiently.

Ryuu took another long exhale before asking the same question he had asked for one hundred years.

"How is she?"

"Fine as always. She still has that smile on her face."

"Had she mentioned me at all?"

"It's not like I spoke to her, Ryuu," Yoruichi answered.

"Right, sorry," Ryuu said before taking another puff.

"I don't understand why you insist on having this conversation every time I come back," Yoruichi stated, slightly annoyed. "This is Retsu we're talking about, you're the love of her life. She's not miserable, she's not seeing someone else, and she's just the same as she always been."

"Except I'm not there to see her smile," Ryuu said sadly. "And as long as Aizen is free to do as he pleases, she and everyone else is in danger."

"There are ten powerful captain's still loyal to the Soul Society- your wife being the second strongest of them- so I doubt she will be unable to handle herself."

"Can you blame for worrying?" Ryuu asked irately.

"No and get why you're worried, but you know there is nothing we can do right now," Yoruichi said evenly.

Ryuu took one last drag of his cigarette before dropping it to the ground and stomping it out.

"I know…and that's what kills me," he said, his tone melancholic.

Suddenly Ryuu felt a sudden surge of spiritual pressure. He didn't recognize it and at first thought it was just a Soul Reaper that had been stationed in the town, but this spiritual pressure was well above the average grunt the Soul Society sent out on patrol. There was something off about this particular spiritual pressure as well; it felt…human.

"Did you feel that?" he asked Yoruichi.

"I did," the cat answered. "Let's go see what it is."

"Right," Ryuu said with a nod.

Several flash steps later, they arrived at the spot where they had detected the spiritual pressure. They stopped on the rooftop of one of the houses overlooking the scene.

"Now there's something you don't see every day…" Ryuu commented.

"Not at all," Yoruichi concurred.

The first thing Ryuu noticed was a large Hollow in the middle of the street. Its left arm had been cleanly cut off and it was roaring in anger at the figure in front of it. The figure was a young man wearing the Soul Reaper shihakusho and he held the largest sealed zanpakuto Ryuu had ever seen. The most noticeable thing about the boy was his hair. Ryuu would recognize that mess of orange hair anywhere.

"That's Ichigo Kurosaki," he said out loud.

"Isshin's son?" Yoruichi asked curiously.

"He was a student of mine years ago," Ryuu said with a nod. I always noticed that he had more spiritual power than most humans, but nothing like this. How did he become a Soul Reaper?"

"What about that girl down there?" Yoruichi asked.

Ryuu looked to where Yoruichi had indicated and noticed a petite girl in a white robe. She had spiritual pressure, but it was akin to what you would from a first year in the Soul Reaper Academy.

'_Wait!'_ Ryuu thought. _'Ichigo's no Soul Reaper, but then why does he have-?'_

Ryuu slowly started to piece it all together. A boy who Ryuu knew to be human inexplicably became a Soul Reaper not one minute ago and not too far away from him was a girl who had enough spiritual power to be a Soul Reaper herself and yet her zanpakuto was nowhere in sight.

"She gave him her power!" Ryuu exclaimed.

"Wait, I know her!" Yoruichi stated. "Her name is Rukia Kuchiki."

"Kuchiki?" Ryuu asked in surprise. "Oh, the Seireitei is not going to like this…"

Ryuu was still well aware of the laws- the often ridiculous laws- set by Central Forty-Six and this girl had just broken one of the bigger ones: she transferred her power to a human.

"We should leave," Yoruichi suggested.

Ryuu agreed and the two flash stepped out of the area and back to the shop. Kisuke needed to be told about this. If and when the Soul Society caught wind of what had happened tonight, if would no doubt bring trouble for them. Ryuu could only hope Kisuke had a contingency plan prepared.

"I'll wake Kisuke and tell about what we saw," Yoruichi said. "It looks like I'll be making a return to the Soul Society sooner than usual."

"How long do you think it will take them to find out?" Ryuu asked.

"I can't be certain," Yoruichi responded. "A Soul Reaper's patrol generally lasts for a month at least. If she were just a random Soul Reaper I doubt they would care to much if she exceeded her patrol time here."

"But because she's a Kuchiki, they'll be watching her," Ryuu finished.

"Exactly," Yoruichi said with a nod.

"There's also the question of what they'll do if they find out about Ichigo," Ryuu added.

"I imagine they'll simply take his powers away and erase his memory," Yoruichi said.

"That's not what I meant…" Ryuu said.

"Oh! You mean if they find out who his father is?" Yoruichi asked knowingly. "I wouldn't worry; his name was struck from the record books. He's not a concern to the Seireitei."

"Still, I think tomorrow I'll pay my old Third Seat a visit and ask him about his son."

* * *

**I hope I did okay with Kido fight. I wasn't entirely sure how to write out the spells. And sorry if the karate scenes are lacking, I'm saving my energy for the BIG fights and didn't really feel like spending to much time on a fight between a powerful captain and a human, even if it is Tatsuki.  
**

**Since Isshin's squad is never given, I decided it would be fun to have made him apart of Ryuu's Squad XD**

**Til next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: I'm sorry this took so long to update! Aside from going on vacation recently, I had hit a block with this story a month ago. I couldn't figure out how to write this chapter, so I left this story alone for a while along with my other Bleach story, which I was having trouble with as well. I finally came back to it and told myself I was going to sit down and not get up until it was done. An hour later, after typing not a single letter, I realized why I could go any further with this chapter. The reson why I could think of a proper ending for this chapter is because it was already done where I left it. This chapter should have been the ending to the last one and sadly I realized that too late. So I guess you wouldn't really call this chapter five, you would call it a continuation of chapter four**. **I apologize to anyone following this story that after three months of no activity, this is all I have. The next chapter will be longer. I plan on wrapping up this arc within the next few chapters because it's keeping from the parts of this story I really want to write. I'll be starting up school soon, so I'll try to get in another chapter before my workload increases.**

* * *

Ryuu got up bright and early the next day. He wanted to catch both Isshin and Ichigo before the latter headed off to school. He found the Kurosaki family standing outside their home which now sported a large gaping hole in the wall from when the Hollow attacked. Isshin was playing the fool by the looks of it and his twin daughters seemed genuinely shocked. Ichigo was staring at the hole with a horrific look on his face. Ryuu couldn't blame him; last night he saw things no normal human should ever see.

"Good morning, Kurosaki family" Ryuu greeted cheerfully.

"Oh, kids look! It's Mr. Hiromasa!" Isshin exclaimed obnoxiously.

"My goodness! What happened here?" Ryuu asked, feigning ignorance as he surveyed the damage.

"A truck crashed into our house last night!" Yuzu stated, the shock evident in her voice.

"Really? Is everyone alright?" Ryuu asked.

"Everyone's fine, thankfully," Isshin said with a grin. "I'll just call a contractor while the kids are at school."

"Oh no!" Yuzu cried out. "I didn't get to make breakfast this morning. We'll never make it to school on time!"

"I will not have my beautiful daughters upset!" Isshin shouted dramatically. "Yuzu dear, take my wallet, buy as many snacks as you like on your way to school," he nearly cried as he handed his daughter his wallet.

"But, dad, we don't need-" Yuzu said before being dragged off by Karin. Apparently the darker twin knew a good opportunity when she saw one.

"Thanks a lot, goat face," she said as they headed off down the street. "Nice seeing you again, Mr. Hiromasa."

"Have a good day at school," he called out to the two of them.

He looked back at the scene to see that Ichigo was still staring at the gaping hole in the wall dumbfounded.

"Ichigo, shouldn't you be getting to school too?" Ryuu asked snapping the teen out of his state of shock.

"Oh…right, yeah," he said before slowly pulling his gaze from the hole and heading back into his house and getting ready leaving the former captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and his former Third Seat turned captain alone outside.

"So…" Ryuu began, "a 'truck', huh?"

"Looks like it," Isshin replied, his tone friendly.

"What kind of 'truck' was it?" Ryuu asked, putting emphasis on the word "truck".

"Nothing special; especially if my son was able to defeat it."

"I was wondering if you realized it or not," Ryuu said with a light chuckle.

"Contrary to what that boy thinks, he can't hide much from me," Isshin said confidently.

Said boy came out the house a few minutes later wearing his school uniform.

"Have a grand day at school son!" Isshin shouted as Ichigo headed off in the direction of his school.

"He's about as poor at hiding his spiritual pressure as you were one hundred years ago," Ryuu stated nostalgically once Ichigo was out of ear shot.

"I wasn't poor, I was just a slow learner," Isshin defended lamely.

"Oh how I never got tired of hearing that from you," Ryuu said with a sigh. "Now may I come in? It's been some time since we've talked."

"Of course…Captain."

The two men stepped into the house and while Isshin went into the kitchen to make coffee for the both of them, Ryuu sat comfortably at the kitchen table staring at the giant poster of Isshin's deceased wife that hung on the wall.

"You still take it black with two sugars right?" Isshin asked as he brought two mugs to the table.

"Yes, thank you," Ryuu said as he accepted the mug from his old friend and subordinate. "So, tell me: why do you keep that poster up?"

"Why not?" Isshin asked with a chuckle as he sat in the chair across from Ryuu. "Don't you wish you had a poster of Retsu?"

"More than you could ever imagine," Ryuu responded with a grin before taking a sip of his coffee.

"See? But I assume you came down here for more than just a friendly chat about our lovely wives."

"Nothing gets past you does it, doctor?" Ryuu asked full of mirth.

Isshin set his coffee down on the table let out a long sigh before speaking.

"I was hoping this world would never touch any of my children," he said, suddenly looking tired.

"Given your past, did you really think it was possible?"

"I suppose not," Isshin said before taking another sip.

"On a positive note: he shows great potential," Ryuu commented. "When his time comes I'm sure he'd make a welcomed addition to the Seireitei."

Isshin let out a dry laugh.

"Ichigo wouldn't be able to stand it there; too many ridiculous rules."

"Like falling in love with a human woman?" Ryuu asked with a smile.

"Or disobeying a command in order to save your comrades?" Isshin asked.

"Or 'punishing' your subordinates when they failed to meet their captain's expectations?"

"I thought that particular rule was actually rather sensible," Isshin replied with a laugh.

"As I recall, you benefitted the most from my 'punishments', Captain Kurosaki," Ryuu stated with a smirk.

"Were we not talking about my son?" Isshin asked wanting to avoid his former captain patting himself on the back.

"Sorry, it's easy to get caught up in my glory days," Ryuu said mirthfully, earning a chuckle from Isshin.

"Is Urahara concerned?" he asked curiously.

"I spoke to him last night after the incident; he has plans for the Soul Reaper that gave Ichigo her power," Ryuu responded. "Can't say I'm fond of his idea, though."

"Why not?"

"You know Kisuke; he's a good man and his heart's always in the right place, but sometimes…his ethics can be called into question."

"What's his plan?"

"He wants to hide the Hougyoku within her."

"What? How?" Isshin asked incredulously.

"He gave her a Gigai last night," Ryuu explained. "The one he gave her doesn't have a very long life span. In a week or two she'll need a replacement. That'll give Kisuke plenty of time to build a special one just for her," Ryuu took another slow sip before continuing. "This gigai will be imprinted with the Hougyoku and will slowly merge with the Soul Reaper…draining her of her spiritual power. She'll become a human and the Hougyoku will be locked away from Aizen forever."

"Damn, Kisuke…" Isshin muttered disparagingly.

"Tell me about it and it gets worse," Ryuu said.

"How?"

"The Soul Reaper is a Kuchiki; Byakuya's adopted sister, according to Yoruichi."

Isshin let out a humorless laugh.

"My son certainly knows how to pick 'em!"

"And you were worried he would never find a girl with that sour look of his," Ryuu said jokingly.

The two shared a brief laugh at that remark before getting back to their more serious atmosphere.

"Do you think Aizen is involved in this in anyway?" Isshin asked.

"The man may be an evil, traitorous son of bitch, but he is genius unlike any other," Ryuu said though he was loathed to admit it. "Shinji was always thought to be one of the smartest and if not the most perceptive man in the Soul Society, and even he was fooled. We can't take any chances with an enemy like that; we always have to assume he's thought of all the variables."

"How do you beat someone like that?" Isshin asked.

"That's the only reason I'm backing Kisuke's plan," Ryuu stated.

"What do you mean?"

"Aizen needs Kisuke's Hougyoku. Based on what Kisuke told me, Aizen was never able to create his own. If we hide the Hougyoku in the Kuchiki girl fast enough, he'll lose one of his advantages," Ryuu explained. "You've been explained the true nature of Aizen's zanpakuto, have you not?"

Isshin nodded.

"I have not laid eyes upon his shikai yet. I've been perfecting my skills for one hundred years now. When the time is right, I'll sneak into the Soul Society and kill him and his two subordinates, Ichimaru and Tosen."

"What then?" Isshin asked curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"If you kill them, how will you prove your innocence?" Isshin asked. "You can't just go charging into the Soul Society with a half-baked plan like that just because you miss your wife."

"What would you have me do? Sit here in the Human World? Try to liv the life of a normal, everyday human?" Ryuu asked, the very thought of doing any of those things filling him with disgust.

"Do you hate it here that much?"

"I don't hate this place, it's just not where I belong," Ryuu clarified. "I want to go home, Isshin!"

"You may have to accept the fact that you may not ever go home, Ryuu," Isshin said evenly.

"I will not," Ryuu said resolutely as he finished his coffee. "I will return that is a promise."

The now agitated former captain of Squad Ten nearly slammed his mug on the table and stood.

"Thank you for the coffee, Isshin," he said tersely before leaving the Kurosaki house.

As he walked back to the Urahara Shop, Ryuu thought about his talk with Isshin. He didn't intend on leaving in a sour mood, but Isshin just didn't understand. His former subordinate had left the Soul Society and accepted exile _by choice_ and happily started a life in the World of the Living. Ryuu was forced to leave his home or else he would spend the rest of his life in prison. Isshin found the love of his life in the World of the Living. Ryuu left the love of his back in the Soul Society. Was it really so hard to see why Ryuu wanted to go back?

However, deep down Ryuu knew Isshin had a point regarding his battle plan. Yoruichi was the only one that was still going back and forth between the Soul Society and Shinji and the others refused to get involved. Even if Yoruichi did agree to assist him, Ryuu was still one man against an entire army. Who's to say he could even get to Aizen, before one of the other captains got in his way. He wasn't going back to fight innocent Soul Reapers, he only needed to kill one man. And what if it was Shunsui or Jushiro or Yamamoto that tried to stop him? What if it was Retsu that tried to stop him? He knew the answer to that last one: he wouldn't do anything. If Retsu told him to drop his sword and face charges of invasion of the Seireitei and attempted murder of a captain… he would do it without a second thought.

For years he had told himself that all he needed to do was train and then he would be ready to invade the Soul Society, but Isshin, for better or for worse, had managed to expose every flaw in his plan. Ryuu couldn't go back as he was; he was stuck in the World of the Living.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Hated this chapter. HATED it! I realized something while I wrote this: the first fifty chapters of the Bleach manga and the first twenty episodes of the anime suck! It makes me glad I got into the series late. I apologize for any inaccuracies that may be in this chapter; as I said before I got into the series late and didn't watch much of the beginning and I don't really have time to so I did my best skimming through the manga and the bleach wikia site.**

**DISCLAIMER~ Bleach is the sole property of Tite Kubo and Shonen Jump. I only own my OC, Ryuu Hiromasa.**

* * *

Kisuke enjoyed his mid-morning naps. He looked forward to them every day when the shop ran as slowly as it was currently doing, which was nearly every day. However, for nearly three weeks his naps were not filled with the usual silence that he enjoyed. Instead they were filled with loud noises coming from his underground training facility.

The former Squad Twelve captain sat up from his futon in annoyance when the noises continued. He wouldn't be getting his nap yet again. He made his way to the back of the shop and opened the trap door to his facility. Too tired to climb down the ladder, he stepped off the edge and allowed himself to plummet a good thirty stories before gracefully landing on his feet. He looked up to the source of his series of rude awakenings.

In the distance he watched as a shirtless Ryuu destroyed the environment around him. Aside from this three weeks stint, Ryuu had done this before, but always within reason and with some restraint. For the last three weeks, however, he destroyed whatever he laid his eyes on in the training area with his zanpakuto.

He casually walked up to the raging former Soul Reaper as he cleaved yet another boulder in two with his long blade

"Something on your mind?" Kisuke asked in a friendly manner.

Ryuu dropped his fighting stance and turned to face Kisuke, giving the scientist a good look at the scowl that had taken residence on his face ever since he went to see Isshin weeks ago.

"No, why do you ask?" Ryuu asked tersely as he already scouted for another rock to obliterate.

"Well, you've been down here destroying the place for weeks now and you're clearly angry," Kisuke stated casually.

"I'm not angry," Ryuu denied as he started walking away having found another rock.

"You only use your zanpakuto to cause mass destruction when you're angry!" Kisuke stated as a matter-of-factly.

Ryuu stopped walking and sighed irately as he turned and faced Kisuke once more.

"What do you want from me, Kisuke?" he asked.

"I can't help you if don't let me know what's wrong," Kisuke said.

"It's not something you can help me with," Ryuu responded.

"How do you know that?"

"It just isn't."

"Tell me anyway."

Ryuu suddenly felt the urge to kick the stone next to his foot at his friend's head. Why was he always so damned curious? Damn stupid scientist!

"I just want to go home, alright!" Ryuu finally grounded out.

"Well that's been your desire for the last century or so, but it's never been the source of this much destruction," Kisuke pointed out.

"Well maybe my patience has finally come to an end!" Ryuu spat.

"I'm only asking you to wait a little longer, Ryuu," Kisuke said calmly. "The Hougyoku has been placed within Miss Kuchiki's body and is slowly starting to fade."

"And then what?" Ryuu asked impatiently. "Once the Hougyoku's gone and we've succeeded in ruining an innocent Soul Reaper's life, what happens then?"

"You've never doubted my plan before Ryuu," Kisuke said evenly.

"What plan? To sit here and hide while that bastard lives?" Ryuu asked angrily.

"Right now it's all we can do," Kisuke said keeping his voice level. "You're not the only one that misses home, Ryuu. I'm doing my best to come up with a solution."

"It's not enough," Ryuu said as he brushed past Kisuke and towards the exit.

He had to instruct a class today. He almost felt like cancelling it, but he had already cancelled two classes. So he reluctantly grabbed his gym bag and made his way to the school.

As he walked, he reached into his pocket for his cigarettes. He had been partaking in his sweet nicotine more often in the last few weeks; it was the only thing aside from going on a rampage in Kisuke's "basement" that eased his tension. He placed the cigarette between his lips and used his zippo lighter to light it. After he took his first inhale, before he could place the lighter back in his pocket, his eyes caught sight of the engraving on it. The engraving was of a bellflower. To anyone else it might have been nothing, but to Ryuu, it served as a constant reminder.

* * *

"_Happy Birthday," Yourichi said with a grin as she handed Ryuu a small wrapped box._

""_It's my birthday?" Ryuu asked in confusion._

"_Yeah, how could you forget?" Yoruichi asked with a raised brow._

"_I've been training for two days nonstop now," Ryuu asked with a shrug._

_Yoruichi gave him a deadpan look and massaged the space between her eyes. Leave it to a guy like Ryuu to obsess over training and forget his own birthday._

"_Just open it before I smack you," she said with an annoyed tone._

_Ryuu obliged her request and tore open the wrappings. Underneath was just a black box with the word "Zippo" on it. Curious, he lifted the top of the box and was surprised to find what was inside._

"_You got me a lighter?" he asked in confusion. "I thought you didn't approve of my habit."_

"_I don't," Yoruichi said as a matter-of-fact. "Look at the engraving."_

_Ryuu did as she asked and looked at the engraving of bellflower; the insignia of Retsu's squad._

"_Why are you giving me this?" Ryuu asked warily._

"_Because every time you decided to light up, I want you to look at that and ask yourself 'what would Retsu think if she saw me now?'" Yoruichi said with a smirk._

_Ryuu chuckled as he examined the lighter once more._

"_I didn't know you were so deep," he said with a grin._

"_Shut up and get cleaned so we can cut your stupid cake!" she said with a laugh._

* * *

As Ryuu reflected on that memory, he though back to what Yoruichi had said. He looked at the engraving on the lighter and his thoughts immediately went to his wife.

"What _would_ you think if you saw me now?" he asked out loud.

He could picture her reaction easily. She would show mild shock at first, but then that ever-present serene look would reappear on her face, but it would only be a façade. That sweet smile and those kind eyes might as well have been a fanged frown and a fiery glare. She would take the cigarette from him and put it out on the ground with just a _little _more force than necessary, and ask ever so sweetly "dear, what are you doing smoking?" and if he looked hard enough, he could see that tiny almost unnoticeable vein on her forehead pulse angrily as she spoke. What would follow afterwards would be punishments only Retsu could conjure up, punishments too horrible to mention. Ryuu visibly shook at the thought of it all and quickly stomped out the cigarette as if his wife would show up any second.

'_Damn that cat-woman!'_ Ryuu thought. Yoruichi knew Retsu just as well as Ryuu did and therefore knew exactly how to use that to make him squirm. To her, it was the funniest thing ever.

Speaking of the feline tormentor, she should have been due back home any day now. Kisuke had sent her to the Soul Society a few days ago to see if anyone was aware of the Kuchiki girl's overextended time in the World of the Living. Someone had already investigated her status a short time ago while the Kurosaki family went on their annual visit to Masaki Kurosaki's grave. It was only a matter of time before someone showed up to retrieve her. That's when the trouble would start.

In regards to the Kurosaki family, Ryuu hadn't spoken to Isshin since their argument several weeks ago. He had, however, been watching Ichigo while he performed Rukia's duties. While Ryuu couldn't deny that the teen did have great potential, he still had a long way to go… a very long way to go. The boy had zero control over his spiritual pressure, almost no real combat experience and absolutely no experience in every other form of Soul Reaper combat. Watching him swing that giant sword around was like watching a child play with a hammer; swing it enough times until you hit something. If it weren't for the fact that Ichigo's job was only temporary, Ryuu would have dragged him to Urahara's and drilled him for days until he was satisfied.

That was another thing Ryuu missed about home. It wasn't being a captain he missed, it was being a teacher. He missed being given lumps of clay fresh out of the academy and molding them into powerful works of art. He could only imagine how poor the quality of Soul Reapers was these days. For now, he supposed, he would have to just settle teaching humans how to defend themselves.

* * *

After a strenuous class- for his students anyway- Ryuu washed his face at the reservoir outside the dojo. It was rather humid and Tatsuki had managed to get in an additional three strikes in during their one-on-one-spar. His star pupil sat only a few feet away from him, relaxing and catching her breath.

"Tired?" Ryuu asked with a smirk.

Tatsuki smiled weakly at her sensei and shook her.

"I could do this all day!" she boasted.

"Be careful what you wish for, Tatsuki," Ryuu warned in a friendly tone. She had no idea how much of a reality he could make her boast. "You did well today. Get some rest and impress me some more next time."

"Alright, sensei," she conceded.

Ryuu walked back into the dojo to change and then began his trip back to Urahara's. Hopefully the exiled eccentric would have the underground cavern fixed up for him to continue his training. He felt little urge to destroy the place at the moment. He chalked it up to the great class he just had. Tatsuki was getting better with every lesson. Maybe by the time the next tournament rolled around, she'd be ready to take first place.

Halfway to Urahara's, Ryuu spotted a couple at an ice cream vendor on the opposite side of the street. His eyes spotted the wedding bands on both of their fingers and he instantly felt a twinge of sadness. Between the married couple was a little boy that was practically bouncing as he watched the ice cream man make his frozen treat. When the husband took the cone the vendor handed to him, he scooped up his son and handed him the cone he had obviously been dying for. Both parents laughed as their son then proceeded to make a mess of himself with his newly acquired treat.

Ryuu felt a pang of jealousy and sorrow. He was looking at sight he could have experienced for himself. He and Retsu never got around to having children; a fact Ryuu regretted every day for the past hundred years. These days, however, after being faced with the hopelessness of ever returning home, the sadness always struck him tenfold every time he thought of the children he may never have.

He was brought out of his wallowing when he felt a massive disturbance. He didn't have to go far to find it. All he had to was look up and there it was: Hollows pouring out portals from Hueco Mundo in droves. Their numbers were in the dozens everywhere he looked. He had never seen anything like it before. He quickly stood up from the bench and rushed back to Urahara's; he would definitely need his zanpakuto for this many Hollows.

It didn't take Ryuu long to get back to the shop. When he did, he found Rukia Kuchiki staring up at the sky. He looked in the direction she was and saw a massive horde of Hollows not too far from them.

"You, what's going on here? Where are all of these Hollows coming from" he shouted at her. She was Karakura Town's designated Soul Reaper. She had to have had some idea of what was going on.

Rukia only regarded him with feigned ignorance.

"I don't know what you're talking about, sir," she said, slipping into her innocent character almost instantly.

"Don't play stupid with me, Kuchiki, I know who and what you are," Ryuu stated tersely.

Rukia looked shock at first, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Are you a friend of Urahara's?" she asked.

"Yes, now what is going on?" Ryuu demanded impatiently.

"To be honest I have no idea," she admitted. "Hollow's just started appearing in large numbers out of nowhere."

"Where's Ichigo?" Ryuu asked.

"I can sense him fighting," Rukia replied. "And there's someone else… I think it's that Quincy we met yesterday."

"A Quincy?" Ryuu asked with a raised brow. He only knew of two Quincys that remained. The first was a cold bastard, Ryuuken, and the other was his son. Ryuuken didn't bother with his Quicny heritage so it couldn't be him; his son had to be the one fighting.

"Mr. Hiromasa," he heard the meek voice of Ururu call out. He turned to see her coming towards him holding his very long zanpakuto in her hands. "Mr. Urahara said you might need this," she said before tossing the weapon to its owner. Ryuu caught the weapon and faced the incoming horde of Hollows that Rukia had been staring at.

"Why do you have a zanpakuto?" Rukia demanded once she caught sight of the weapon.

"You're a bright girl, I'm sure you can figure it out," Ryuu said as he unsheathed his zanpakuto. "Watch closely and you might learn something," he added smugly before disappearing in a flash leaving a bewildered Rukia behind.

She looked up when she heard the mass of Hollows roaring again. She was about run when she suddenly saw several sliver flashes within the horde. The next thing she knew, the Hollows started splitting into numerous pieces before fading away into oblivion, revealing Ryuu floating in what was once the center of the horde.

The former captain returned to the ground and sheathed his zanpakutō. Rukia merely watched him, mouth agape from what she had just witnessed.

"Who are you?" she asked in awe.

"My name is Ryuu Hiromasa," Ryuu answered.

Rukia searched her memory for that name; she knew she heard before somewhere. Her Kuchiki-paid education had taught her much about the history of the Seireitei and its major past figures. Then she remembered what she learned of the Seireitei's previous captains and senior officers. Her eyes widened when she was remembered the name Ryuu Hiromasa.

"You're the former captain of Squad Ten!" she stated aloud.

"Give the girl a prize," Ryuu said sarcastically.

"How? Ryuu Hiromasa vanished from the Soul Society one hundred years ago!"

"And here I stand before," Ryuu said with a grin.

"B-But y-you're Ryuu Hiromasa!" she practically shouted. "The famed captain of Squad Ten and the 'Dragon-'"

"The 'Dragon of the Seireitei'? Yeah, that one never gets old," he said mirthfully.

"What are you doing here?"

Ryuu was actually worried her eyes might pop out of her head if she kept this up.

"Look I understand you're star struck, but in case you forgot, this town is in the middle of a crisis," he reminded her. "You go and find Ichigo, I'll see if I can thin out these numbers," he instructed before flash stepping away leaving an awed Rukia.

"Just what is going?" she wondered aloud.

* * *

A little over fifty Hollows later, Ryuu wasn't even feeling tired. These small fry Hollow couldn't hold a candle to sparring with Tessai or Yoruichi or even Ururu. He still hadn't been able to figure out why these Hollows were coming in such vast numbers. The few people with vast spiritual power in Karakura knew exactly how to keep their spiritual pressure to a minimum. The only one letting their spiritual energy go at full blast was Ichigo, but that was because he was a novice. Even so, for all the spiritual power the boy possessed, he didn't have power necessary to draw in this many Hollows. Oh well, he would leave that up to Kisuke and the others. He had Hollows to kill.

One by one they fell to his blade. There were definitely fewer of them thanks to him, but there were still quite a bit. By now Kisuke and his motley crew were probably already on the move and assisting in the extermination. If all went well, the city should have been cleared within the hour.

He then sensed a rather powerful Hollow. It was still a base Hollow, but strong all the same. The presence was coming from the Karakura High School. His eyes widened instantly when he felt Tatsuki's spiritual energy in the same vicinity as the Hollow's. He had his next destination and immediately shunpoed to Karakura High.

When he arrived above the school, his suspicions were correct; a powerful low-level Hollow that looked like a demon jellyfish was attacking Tatsuki and several of her classmates. Tatsuki, a red-haired girl-Ryuu believed her name Chizuru- and several other students he didn't recognize were all stalking towards her as if they were possessed by some unseen force. Only one was still left standing; Tatsuki's friend, Orihime Inoue, but the Hollow had its sights set on her as well. Ryuu was about to draw his zanpakutō and destroy the creature with one stroke. He'd be damned if he was going to allow that monster to devour his top student. Before he could, however, he saw the oddest sight.

Orihime Inoue began pulsing with strong spiritual energy. It wasn't like a Soul Reapers power, but…something else. A powerful whirlwind engulfed her and sent the surrounding students flying.. When the wind faded, he looked to see Orihime standing stall and determined with several small multicolored pixie-like objects flying around her. Ryuu had never seen anything like it before. It wasn't a Hollow power, nor was it something created by any Soul Reaper. Whatever those things were, they clearly had a mind of their own, which was made apparent when each of them started talking to her. He could only make out bits and pieces of their conversation, but he heard the pixie's call themselves "Shun Shun Rikka".

Then he noticed the jellyfish Hollow ready another attack at Orihime. It launched several pods from its head at the young girl. Orihime stood her ground and shouted the words "Santen Kesshun, I reject!" Three of the pixies surrounding her formed a triangle and between the three of them, a bright orange barrier formed in front of Orihime and stopped the attack. She then shouted the words "Soten Kisshun!" and two more of the pixies formed an oval shaped barrier around Tatsuki. To Ryuu's amazement, all traces of injury on Tatsuki's body started to fade. It wasn't like being healed through Kido, which only healed injuries. This power did something else entirely. It was as if the injuries were removed from existence. Ryuu could also feel Tatsuki's spiritual energy return to normal. This power went way beyond what he knew as healing.

"What is that?" he asked out loud as he observed the scene intently, afraid that if he blinked he'd miss something that would provide an answer to his confusion. But there was still more to see.

This time Orihime shouted the phrase "Koten Zanshun, I reject!" One of those pixies mad a shot at the Hollow like a speeding bullet. Ryuu watched as it flew through the Hollow and sliced it in half right down the middle. The Hollow let out a final scream before dissipating into nothingness.

The whole thing must have left Orihime drained because she started wobbling. Before she could hit the ground, Ryuu flash stepped towards her and caught her. She was unconscious, but unharmed. He heard a light clanking sound behind him and turned to see a pair of sky blue flower shaped hairpins lying on the ground.

"There's no way," he said in disbelief.

"My, my, what's happened here?" Ryuu heard a familiar voice.

He turned his head forward again and saw Kisuke standing in front of him. Behind Kisuke was Tessai who was carrying the body of that rather large friend of Ichigo's- Yasutora Sado he believed his name was.

"It seems there's someone in this town with a unique power," Ryuu answered as he held Orhime bridal style.

"You found one too?" Kisuke asked curiously while pointing his thumb at Sado.

"Kisuke, what the hell's going on?" Ryuu asked.

"It seems someone has used Hollow bait," Kisuke responded.

"You mean there's some spiritually aware being that's that stupid?" Ryuu asked incredulously. "Who?"

"Well Hollow bait was only used by the Quincy centuries ago, so…"

"Ryuuken's son," Ryuu stated knowingly. "Tell me where he is so I can kill him."

"First we need to get these two to safety," Kisuke responded.

"Then can I hunt down the Quincy?"

"If you must," Kisuke said with a shrug.

* * *

**Awful, I know. I really want to wrap this arc up. Until then, I'd like to know what you all think Ryuu's zanpakuto is going to be. I'm not going to reval it's name or shikai until later on; I'm saving it for a big fight. Since Ryuu is in the same league as Shunsui and Jushiro, I want to follow Kubo's example and make the nature of his weapon as vague as possible until he gets to that one big fight. With a title like "Dragon of the Sereitei" what kind of zanpkauto could Ryuu possibly have?**

**Till next time!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note****: Holy hell, I'm alive! I know it's been forever, since I updated this. This story got lost somewhere between my two other big stories, Christmas shopping, catching up on my school work, working on the weekends and most recently, finals. These last two months have been hell for me, but there's a chance I might be taking a break from school until next fall so I should have more time to write, unless I get a better job and/or my original work starts picking up**.

**Now, I apologize if this chapter is basically appears to be just a rough summary of chapters 44-51** **of the manga. I don't know if I said this before, but I got into this series late around episode 60 so I'm not to familiar with the beginning of this series and if the above paragraph is any indication, I don't exactly have time to go back and review it. Just bare with me everyone, this story will get better as time goes on, I promise.**

**DISCLAIMER~ Bleach is the sole property of Tite Kubo-sama. I only own my OC, Ryuu Hiromasa.**

* * *

"I SAID IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Orihime shouted as she jolted awoke from her nightmare.

Unfortunately for Chad, who had been leaning over her in concern for her tossing and turning, she jolted head first into his nose.

"Huh? Morning, Chad," Orihime greeted with a sudden cheeriness.

"Morning," Chad mumbled as he held his bloody and possibly broken nose. "Your head is surprisingly hard, Orihime. You looked like you were having a pretty bad nightmare. What was it about?"

"I…can't say," Orihime said with a blush. "It's a secret." She couldn't tell Chad she was having an embarrassing dream about Ichigo.

"By the way, where are we?" she asked when she realized she was in a room she didn't recognize.

The door to the room then opened and in walked two men.

"Well, it looks like you've finally woke up," the one wearing the green and white striped hat said cheerfully.

Orihime didn't recognize him, but she did recognize the man standing beside him.

"I know you! You're Tatsuki's karate instructor!" she exclaimed.

"This is true," Ryuu said with a nod.

"But then who is he?" Orihime asked whilst pointing at Kisuke.

"This colorful gentleman is Kisuke Urahara," Ryuu answered. "He's the one who saved your tall friend here."

"Well, thank you for saving us, but maybe now you can tell us about what exactly is going on?" Chad asked.

"Well…"

Kisuke started by explaining Soul Reaper and Hollows to the teens. He introduced both himself and Ryuu as Soul Reapers and told them the monsters they fought were Hollows. Then he gave them a quick rundown of what was happening in there town and what Ichigo had been doing for nearly the last month. Ryuu could see that the two of them were doing the best to keep up, but the confusion and apprehension on their face was evident. He could understand; an hour ago they were normal teenagers. Then he explained what was happening to them. According to Kisuke, coming into contact with Ichigo's spiritual power, unlocked what he called their latent "natural powers" within them.

"Wait a second, I'm still not sure I get it," Orihime stated.

"It's alright if you don't quite understand," Kisuke responded. "Your recent 'transformations' aren't a disease of some sort. You've both simply just been given a key to a very special door that has appeared before you. Whether or not the two of you decided to open that door is up to you."

Bothe teens appeared to contemplate Kisuke's words. Both of them had just acquired strange and unique powers. Should they make use of them? Were they too dangerous? Before either of them could come up with answers, the door to the room opened once more. This time it was a muscular mustachioed man with glasses and thick dreadlocks that entered.

"Sir, the kuumon has begun it's convergence!" Tessai stated.

"I see…and the preparations?" Kisuke asked.

"Complete!" Tessai responded.

"Good, then let's go!" Kisuke said before heading towards the door.

"W-Wait! What about-" Orihime began, but was cut off by Kisuke.

"Are you two not coming?" Kisuke turned his head to ask them, a new seriousness in his tone.

Orihime and Chad only gave him confused looks.

"I'll let you watch. I want you two to see for yourselves the world you're about to step into…and the enemies that you must fight."

"But be warned," This time it was Ryuu who spoke up. "Once you take your first step into this world, you can't turn back. If you're not ready for this, go home now."

"I can't do that," Chad responded almost instantly.

"Why not?" Ryuu asked curiously.

"Ichigo's my friend; if he's fighting, I won't let him fight alone," Chad said. "If have to use this power to help him fight these Hollows, I will."

"Good answer," Ryuu said with a grin. "And you?" He turned his gaze to Orihime.

"I…I want to help Ichigo too!" she said with a hint of nervousness.

"Tatsuki chooses her friends well. Now, let's go help your friend."

* * *

The group hurried in the direction of the park where both Ichigo's and the Quincy's spiritual pressure could be felt, along with a cluster of Hollows.

"Hey, what's that?" Orihime asked pointing up towards the sky.

Ryuu looked in the direction she was pointing in and saw a large fissure forming in the sky. Ryuu knew full well what it was.

"That…is trouble, let's hurry," he said before grabbing hold of Orihime and continuing on towards the park He lengthened his strides so he was in step with Kisuke. "I think we need to pick up the pace"

"You worry too much!" Kisuke replied. "Those two boys can handle themselves until we get there."

"That's not what I mean. I'm talking about what's about to break through."

"What? You mean you don't want to test Ichigo's strength?" Kisuke asked with a sly smile.

Ryuu raised a brow at him, but when he caught on to what Kisuke was getting at, a smirk formed on his lips.

"Sometimes great minds _do_ think alike, Kisuke."

"Indeed, they do."

Destroying what was about to break out of Hueco Mundo would have been easy for seasoned Soul Reapers like Kisuke and Ryuu, but Ryuu wanted to see what a novice could do under such a threat. Secretly, he had always wanted to pit his men against a Menos as part of their training; it was a sort of twisted fantasy of his back when he was a captain.

The group came upon the park where Ichigo's spiritual pressure was emitting like smoke from a fire and found the young Substitute Soul Reaper and the Quincy boy fighting side by side against the massive army that had encircled them. But Ryuu noticed that it wasn't actual team work; it was more like they were competing against one another for kills.

"And you were worried," Kisuke said smugly.

"Brats always fight harder when their pride's on the line," Ryuu stated matter-of-factly.

"Uh…Mr. Urahara, Mr. Hiromasa? W-What's that?" Orihime asked nervously while looking upwards.

Ryuu and Kisuke looked up at the crack that had formed in the sky. A giant pair of snow white hands with long sharp fingernails had pushed through the cracks. They slowly began pulling the sky apart as if it were made of paper. When the void had grown large enough, an enormous white face had peeked out. The face itself was the size of a house with two rows of giant teeth, a long pointed nose, and two white glowing orbs in the black pits that were its eyes.

"That would be what Soul Reapers would call a Menos Grande; specifically: a Gillian," Kisuke explained calmly.

"It's enormous!" Orihime exclaimed in awe and fear.

"And ugly," Ryuu added. "You and Chad stay close to us, and you'll be safe."

"It hasn't stepped into the World of the Living yet, we should thin out more of these numbers before it starts eating," Kisuke suggested.

"Good idea," Ryuu said in agreement. He turned to Ururu and gave her a kind smile. "Ururu, would kindly begin the assault?"

"Yes sir," Ururu replied meekly.

* * *

Ichigo and Uryuu stared up at the giant Hollow that was clawing its way out of the sky in horror.

"What do we do? We can't fight that thing with Hollows already surrounding us!" Uryuu exclaimed.

"Shut up! Right now, that's all we can do!" Ichigo shouted irately.

"Wait a minute! You're the one who said we should come up with a strategy!" Uryuu shot back.

"That was then, this is now! We don't have time to come up with a strategy!"

Before they could argue any further, the sound of roaring behind them made them remember that they were in the middle of a horde of bloodthirsty Hollows. Both teens were about to attack when several speeding objects zipped passed them and obliterated the Hollows in front of them. The confused young men turned around to find the source of the attack and were more than surprised to find a little girl holding a large rectangular object wrapped in cloth that was covered in writing.

"H-Hello," she greeted meekly as she held the smoking object.

"Mr. Kurosaki, we've come to the rescue!" Kisuke sang dramatically.

"Is there a need for that?" Ryuu asked flatly.

"Always make a grand entrance, Ryuu," Kisuke replied with a grin.

"You're…Rukia's friend, the hat and clogs guy!" Ichigo said in realization.

Before Kisuke could give what was no doubt an unnecessarily dramatic response, the Hollows began attacking again.

"Charge!" Kisuke shouted with smile while pointing his fan forward like a general's baton.

Jinta was the first one to jump into the fray swinging his massive kanabo with reckless, yet effective, abandon. Ururu hefted her giant bazooka onto her shoulder and started firing again. Even Tessai jumped in and with his behemoth strength, was able to obliterate Hollows with only his bare hands. Within seconds, the number of Hollows had decreased by half.

"Incredible!" Uryuu exclaimed in awe. "They're all so strong!"

"Why are you here, Mr. Hat and Clogs?" Ichigo asked curiously. "And Mr. Hiromasa, what are you doing here?"

"Just like Mr. Urahara said, Ichigo: we came to your rescue," Ryuu answered.

"We'll take care of the small, Mr. Kurosaki, in order for you to concentrate on fighting that one," Kisuke said while pointing towards the Gillian

Ichigo followed Kisuke's hand and when he realized what he was pointing to, his eyes widened in horror.

"You want me to fight that thing? But-"

"This is not a time for idle chit-chat," Kisuke said his tone suddenly serious. "Take another look."

Ichigo and Uryuu looked back at the Gillian and watched as it slowly pulled the sky further apart and stuck its body further from the black void behind it.

"It's coming out!" Ichigo exclaimed.

The Gillian had continued pushing apart the tear it had made and was almost entirely exposed.

"It's ridiculously enormous!" Uryuu stated.

"I'm doubtful of whether or not that thing's actually a Hollow!" Ichigo boasted, but Ryuu knew it was just bravado.

"Watch carefully," he said.

The remained Hollows all roared and began charging at the Gillian. The large Hollow opened its mouth and out shot a massively long tongue that tore through the smaller Hollows before dragging them back to the Gillian's maw. The Gillian crunched down on the Hollows it had collected sending blood and body parts everywhere.

"It's eating its fellow Hollows?" Uryuu asked in surprise. Beside him, Ichigo started chuckling. "What is so funny about this, Kurosaki?"

"There's no way we can figure out how to fight this kind of monster. So with this guy…we'll just keep cutting him and take him down with everything we got! There's no other way!" Ichigo shouted before he charged at the Gillian.

"Wait a minute, Kurosaki!" Uryuu shouted before giving chase.

"That boy is an idiot," Ryuu deadpanned.

"But the potential is plainly obvious, is it not?" Kisuke asked.

"Yes, as are all his annoying flaws. You two stay here," he ordered Chad and Orihime. "I'll see is there's anything I can do to keep your friend from getting killed."

With that, he and Kisuke began walking at casual pace after Ichigo and Uryuu.

As they walked, they spotted Rukia running after Ichigo. She was shouting at him, telling him not to fight the Gillian. Kisuke and Ryuu had the same idea and flashed stepped in front of her.

"What is the meaning of this Urahara?" Rukia demanded. "Do the two of you intend to let Ichigo die?"

"That is a rather harsh accusation, Miss Kuchiki," Ryuu said evenly.

"Not if it's true!" Rukia retorted.

"Of course it isn't, Miss Kuchiki," Kisuke responded calmly.

"Then stand aside! This is not an enemy Ichigo can defeat!" Rukia shouted as she moved to pass by Ryuu and Kisuke.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Miss Kuchiki," Kisuke said as he pointed his pointer and middle fingers back at Rukia. The young woman fell to ground instantly and seemed to be unable to move. "Please watch closely. This is a very important battle. As crucial to you as it will be for him," Kisuke said in a much more serious tone.

Rukia was about to retort, but Ryuu cut her off.

"Have a little faith, Kuchiki. Ichigo is stronger than you give him credit for."

Ryuu watched as Ichigo attempted his plan to _"just keep cutting him and take him down with everything he we've got!"_ Needless to say, his plan ended poorly. He only managed to nick the Gillian on the leg before the giant Hollow kicked him away as he if were some common pest. Uryuu tried using his bow, but had no effect, and Ryuu could sense that the boys own spiritual power was waning, but when he touched Ichigo's zanpakutō to help him up, his bow's size increased exponentially.

"I can see it," Ryuu heard Orihime say behind him. He turned around and saw her and Chad staring intently at the fight. "I can see Ichigo and Uryuu fighting."

"I never thought I'd see anything like this," Chad said.

"Nor should you have," Ryuu said with a sigh. "But you know too much about this world now and there is no going back. Can the two of you live with that?"

"What are we supposed to do?" Orihime asked. Ryuu could see it in her eyes. She had never been so lost about what to do next. It really wasn't fair to any of them.

"Only you can make that choice," Ryuu answered and turned back to the fight.

It seemed Uryuu had a rather ingenious idea. Whether that idea was to increase his own spiritual power by using Ichigo's zanpakutō or strapping Ichigo's zanpakutō to his head to make him look just plain stupid was something Ryuu couldn't decide on. The two argued for a couple of minutes and then everyone felt a sudden fluxuation of spiritual energy. Ryuu looked up to see a mass of spirit particles form at the Gillian's mouth.

"Now the real test of strength begins," he said to himself as he watched the battle intently.

Ichigo had abandoned Uryuu's plan and charge the Gillian head on. Ryuu couldn't deny, the boy had courage, brains, however, not so much. Even when the Gillian launched its red cero at the Substitute Soul Reaper, the boy stood his ground and raised his sword in defense. To the surprise of almost everyone that was watching, he managed to not only repel the cero, but he used its own power to form an attack of his own. It almost looked as if a crescent moon went tearing through the Gillian.

The massive Gillian roared in agony from the attack. What happened next was unexpected. Instead of continue an attack with the tenacity most Hollows possess, the Gillian actually stepped back into the void it created and quickly gripped at the dimensional tear and pulled it back together.

"Impressive!" Tessai commented as walked up to stand beside Ryuu and Kisuke along with Jinta and Ururu. "The boss certainly found the right person."

"That he did," Ryuu nodded in agreement. "Well done, Mr. Urahara."

"You flatter me, gentlemen!" Kisuke said jovially.

"Hey, is he really that strong?" Jinta asked unconvinced. "He wasn't even trying!"

"That's true, Jinta…but he can only go up from here," Ryuu said confidently.

"Are you sure, Mr. Hiromasa?" Tessai asked curiously.

"The boy's rough around the edges- the young ones always are. Still, he has an impressive growth rate. Just you watch, Tessai, he'll get stronger soon enough."

It was then that Ichigo collapsed onto the ground. The spiritual energy from his zanpakutō started fluctuating uncontrollably.

"That's not good," Kisuke said from behind his fan, his tone serious. "If Ichigo's spiritual energy doesn't calm down, it'll consume his spiritual body until there's nothing left."

"Is there something we should do?" Ryuu asked.

"No need; the Quincy's got it figured out," Kisuke said, removing the fan from his face and his tone becoming much lighter. "Take a look."

Ryuu did as Kisuke asked and saw Uryuu standing above Ichigo, with his Quincy bow activated. He began launching spirit arrows into the air and Ryuu felt Ichigo's spiritual begin to stabilize. Ryuu understood. The Quincy was using his ability to absorb spiritual energy to lessen the power of the spiritual energy that was trying to consume Ichigo. It was a clever idea, but it proved to have dangerous drawback. After a firing over half a dozen arrows filled with immense spiritual power, Uryuu's body started receiving damage from the raw energy. Finally after another half a dozen arrows or so, Ichigo's spiritual energy returned to a more tolerable level. Uryuu, on the other hand, looked like a ragged and bloody mess. Fortunately, the Quincy looked as if he was going to survive.

"You still want to kill him?" Kisuke asked curiously with a grin. Ryuu chuckled in response.

"I think he's taken enough of a beating; there'd be no fine in smacking him around."

"As you wish," Kisuke replied with a shrug before turning to Tessai. "I'm counting on you to fix that crack in the sky."

"Right away, sir!" Tessai responded dutifully before taking Jinta and Ururu with him to repair the dimensional damage the Gillian had caused.

* * *

The next day came around and everything seemed quiet after the craziness that happened the day before. Currently, Ryuu was leaning up against the wall of the Urahara shop, with cup of warm coffee in his hand while he watched Ururu sweep and Jinta make an ass out of himself with the broom.

"Jinta, could you please focus on sweeping?" Ururu asked meekly.

"Shut up! I'm about to swing a homerun!" the redhead shoute.

"Jinta! Sweep! Now!" Ryuu raised his voice.

"Y-Yes sir!" Jinta said fearfully and began sweeping the floor.

"Ururu, would you like to take a break?" Ryuu asked, his tone much kinder.

"Why does she get a break?" Jinta demanded.

"Didn't I tell you to sweep?" Ryuu snapped causing the boy to grumble and return to his task.

"Thank you, Mr. Hiromasa, but I'm fine," Ururu replied.

"As you wish," Ryuu said before taking a sip of his coffee.

He then heard a meow from his side and turned his head to see a familiar black cat rounding the corner of the shop.

"Ururu, go tell Mr. Urahara to call the pound and tell them we have a stray," Ryuu requested.

Yoruichi hissed at him in response.

"Oh calm down, puss, it was a joke!" Ryuu exclaimed.

Ururu did as Ryuu asked-minus the part about calling the pound- and Kisuke came out of the shop and ran up excitedly to the cat.

"Yoruichi, you're back!" he exclaimed as he hoisted the cat into the air.

The cat and Ryuu gave him a deadpanned look.

"Kisuke, you seriously need to seek help," Ryuu murmured.

* * *

Later that afternoon just before sunset, Ryuu and Yoruichi waited patiently outside the shop for Kisuke. The exiled eccentric was fetching Yoruichi a bowl of milk before their talk.

"Why don't you tell him to stop doing that?" Ryuu asked curiously.

"You really think he would even if I asked?" Yoruichi replied.

"No."

Kisuke came out a minute later with a bowl full of milk and that goofy smile on his face.

"You ready for your milk Yoruichi?" he asked.

"Would you stop that for now!" Yoruichi snapped. "_They _are here already."

Kisuke's grin dropped and his expression turned serious.

"So you want to talk about this now or after you've had your milk?" he asked

"What do you think?"

"Right…so who did they send?" he asked.

"The captain of Squad Six and his lieutenant," she answered.

"They send a captain to do a seated officer's job?" Ryuu asked in surprise.

"Oh it gets better," Yoruichi continued. "The captain they sent is her brother, Byakuya Kuchiki."

"Little Byakuya?" Ryuu asked with a surprised chuckle. "I take back what I said; they sent a brat to do a seated officer's job."

"You'd actually be impressed with his progress," Yoruichi commented.

"I doubt it, but I guess we'll see," Ryuu relented. "So, what now, Kisuke? The Hougyoku hasn't assimilated yet has it?"

"I'm afraid not. Just one more week or so and it would have been ready," Kisuke said with a sigh. "There isn't much we can do. We'll just have to observed them for now and decide a new course of action."

"If they find Ichigo with Rukia, he's not going to last," Ryuu stated.

"Then we'll just have to hope Rukia can convince her brother, not kill him," Yoruichi said.

"You think she can get through to him, when _you _couldn't?" Ryuu asked dryly.

"…I don't know."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:**** It's been a while since I updated this story. My difficulty from doing so came from a recent family incident that forced me and my family to find a new place to live and naturally I had to drop everything I was doing for a while, I was even forced to withdraw from my final semester of college. But that's all in the past now and everything's finally stable once more and I find myself with more free time on my hands these** **days. I'm fast approaching where I want to be with this story; hopefully that will help with getting the chapters finished quicker. I also finally worked Unohana back into this story for some much needed drama and gave you all a pretty big reveal at the end of this chapter to keep you interested! ;)**

**DISCLAIMER~ As always, Bleach- which is now sadly on it's final arc in the manga- is the property of Tite Kubo.**

* * *

It had actually gone better than he had hoped. At least Ichigo was still alive and Kisuke had already formed a new plan. It seemed that their sudden negative was on the verge of becoming a positive.

Ryuu, Yoruichi, and Kisuke had arrived minutes before Byakuya and his lieutenant left with Rukia to the Soul Society, leaving Ichigo lying bloody and powerless on the ground. Kisuke was the one who rushed them to Ichigo's house and sent Ichigo after Rukia. They stayed at a safe yet observable distance and with the use of one of Kisukes devices, masked their spiritual pressure from Byakuya.

When the Senkaimon had closed the three made their way to Ichigo's body. The boy was barely conscious, having lost so much blood from the wounds inflicted by a Captain class Soul Reaper. Uryuu who had arrived before Ichigo had suffered injuries while trying to save Rukia, gave them a few parting words before heading off on his own. Ryuu knelt down beside Ichigo's body and looked over his wounds. Ichigo groaned and looked up at the older man.

"M-Mr…Hiromasa?" he managed to ask.

"You're turning out to be quite the surprise, Ichigo," Ryuu commented with a smirk. "Go ahead and sleep."

Not that Ichigo had a choice; the loss of blood finally caused him to pass out in the street. Ryuu hoisted the boy up onto his shoulder, making sure not to exacerbate his injuries any further.

"Well, let's get him back to the shop. He's in for quite the rude awakening," Kisuke stated before turning on his heel and heading back in the direction they arrived in.

"What do you think?" Yoruichi suddenly asked.

"About what?" Ryuu asked curiously.

"About Byakuya," she clarified.

"Oh…he's taller," Ryuu answered before continuing onward.

Yourichi let out a frustrated sigh as she followed after him.

* * *

A scream rang out through the Urahara shop. Ryuu and Kisuke made their way to the room where they had let Ichigo rest.

"Looks like he's awake," Kisuke said with a grin behind his fan.

"Why Tessai chose to wake him up like that is beyond me," Ryuu remarked.

"He claimed it was the only way to make sure Ichigo was truly alright."

"Really? Traumatizing him and not using any healing kido was the only way to make sure he was alright?" Ryuu asked unconvinced.

"Why don't you ask him?" Kisuke inquired with a shrug.

"No, I'm staying clear of that weirdness," Ryuu replied.

They opened the door and saw Ichigo lying bandaged up in his futon looking around at his new environment in confusion.

"You shouldn't move around so much Ichigo," Kisuke stated casually from behind his fan as he walked into the room. "Your wounds haven't healed yet. If you move around so much you might die!"

"Laying it on a bit thick don't you think?" Ryuu asked with a deadpanned look.

"You think so?" Kisuke asked, appearing to be genuinely stunned.

"Mr. Hiromasa? And you, you're that "hat and clogs guy"!" Ichigo said in realization. "So…this is where you live?"

"Correct!" Kisuke replied, snapping his fan shut.

"You guys…saved me?" Ichigo asked with a frown.

"What's with that tone?" Kisuke asked. "You make it sound as if we made a mistake."

Ichigo said nothing, but placed his hand over his wounded shoulder. Ryuu could see that the boy was hurting and the pain wasn't just physical. He had been beaten almost instantly by his opponent and wasn't able to save his friend. He probably didn't feel worthy of saving.

"Oh right! Did you guys find Uryuu? He got hurt too! Is he here?" Ichigo asked worriedly.

"Nope!" Kisuke answered.

"Your Quincy friend took a beating, but his injury was far from severe," Ryuu explained. "Kisuke treated his injury and then he just got up and walked away. He was actually more concerned about you."

"Uryuu? Yeah right," Ichigo replied unconvinced.

"It's the truth!" Kisuke exclaimed. "He told us to focus on healing you. He said he wasn't the one to beat those guys. I believe his exact words were "The only one that can save Rukia is him"."

Ichigo's scowl deepened.

"Only me? What does he expect me to do? Rukia's already back in the Soul Society!" Ichigo shouted angrily. "How can I follow her there? How the hell am I supposed to rescue her? There's no way!"

"You really think there's no other way…to get into the Soul Society?" Kisuke asked dangling the bait before Ichigo.

"What? So there _is _a way?"

'_That certainly got his attention,'_ Ryuu thought.

"How? How can I get there?" the orange-haired teen demanded. "Tell me how!"

"I will tell you…under one condition," Kisuke responded calmly. "Starting right now, for ten days, you will learn how to fight properly with me."

"What? You're telling me to train?" Ichigo shouted incredulously. "You think I have time for that? Rukia could be executed by then! I need to get there as fast as possible!

"You are quite the frustrating person," Kisuke said frankly.

Ryuu watched his expression calm and his arms crossed over his chest as Kisuke pushed the butt of his cane against Ichigo's head and knocked him down with absolutely no effort all while vaulting over the former substitute Soul Reaper and landing behind him.

"Don't be stupid. If you went to the Soul Society now, you'd die," Kisuke stated matter-of-factly.

Ichigo could only look up at the candy salesman, beads of fear induced sweat dripping down his face as Kisuke's cane hovered one dangerous inch from his face.

"You really think you can stand up to them now, without you powers?" Kisuke asked. "I _let_ you fight those two Soul Reapers. I figured you'd understand physical results better than words or warnings. I wanted you to realize just how large of a gap in power you are from the rest of them. You're weak right now and a weakling barging into enemy territory is as good as committing suicide. You want to rescue Rukia? Don't make me laugh. If you get yourself killed, there'll be no one to blame."

Ichigo's fearful expression intensified just a bit, causing Ryuu to smirk. At first he always wondered how a guy like Kisuke could have possibly been in the Stealth Force, but the conversation he just watched washed away any doubts. Kisuke was a scarier man than people realized.

"I think he gets the message, Kisuke. Back off before he wets himself," Ryuu said with a light chuckle.

Kisuke flashed Ryuu a light grin before standing up and removing his cane from Ichigo's face before continuing.

"The Soul Society usually allows a grace period lasting up to a month before a convict is executed for the maximum penalty," he explained. "It is the same in Rukia's case. We'll only be troubling you for _ten days_."

Ichigo gave an annoyed scowl at Kisuke's explanation. He clearly didn't like being made a fool out of for his lack of knowledge regarding the Soul Society.

"When you've finished your training, it will take seven days to open the door to the Soul Society," Kisuke continued. "So once you've arrived in the Soul Society, you will have _thirteen days_. You have more than enough time."

Ichigo said nothing, appearing to be lost in thought.

"In ten days…will I get be stronger?" he asked.

"Of course," Kisuke answered. "If you really want to save Rukia, you will need a will stronger than steel. If your determination is anything less than wholehearted, it's worth nothing. So for ten days…can you be seriously determined to fight?"

Ichigo looked away from Kisuke and out the window. Kisuke might not have thought so, but he was asking quite a bit of the young teen. To suddenly have to abandon any notion of normalcy within your daily life and be thrust into a world he was centuries to early from understanding was truly an unfair price to pay.

"If I don't do it, no one else will," Ichigo finally spoke up. "I guess I have no chose! Let's do it!"

Ryuu and Kisuke shared an amused smirk.

"Well then, I hope you're ready for Hell, boy," Ryuu said with an evil grin that made Ichigo shudder.

* * *

_Later that day_

All the occupants of the Urahara shop stood outside in the lot, except for Yoruichi who had run off somewhere to take care of "the other prospects", as she put it.

"You really think he's ready for this Kisuke?" Ryuu asked curiously as he paced back and forth across the shop's front lot.

"Ichigo hasn't been a Soul Reaper very long and he does lack true combat and field experience, but his growth rate is unlike anything I've ever seen in someone so young. If you're asking if I'm sure he'll get one hundred percent stronger, I truly can't answer for certain, but I can promise you that he will depart for the Soul Society ready, willing, and able to fight," Kisuke stated confidently.

"I say you should just have Tessai wrap him and I in that crazy space…time…whatever thing that he does and have me bang out a month's worth of training," Ryuu said.

"As great as that idea sounds, Ryuu, using that "space time thing", as you so aptly call it, would not work out for what I have planned exactly, and besides I thought you wanted to get him to the Soul Society alive. Do you really think he could survive a month under your tutelage?"

"Hmm…probably not. Alright, point taken," Ryuu relented.

"Just have a little faith Ryuu…Ah! Speak of the devil," Kisuke announced when he noticed a familiar presence at the front of the lot.

Standing before them was Ichigo.

"Oh, welcome, Mr. Kurosaki!" Kisuke greeted enthusiastically. "How are your wounds?"

Ichigo responded by ripping open his shirt and showing them the scars that had formed. They had healed rather nicely thanks to Tessai's kido mastery. A normal person would have most likely still been hospitalized.

"I'm good," Ichigo said.

"Perfect!" Kisuke exclaimed.

"What did you tell your family?" Ryuu asked curiously.

"That I was staying over at a friend's house."

"Oh? Did you say it was a girl?" Ryuu teased.

"It does sound like an excuse to do the "hanky panky" doesn't it?" Kisuke said teasingly as well.

"I'll kill the both of you!" Ichigo growled.

"There will be time for that later, _child_," Ryuu said his tone slightly daring. "Right now, let's just get you to learn the basics of actually holding a weapon."

"I already know how to do that!" the teen said defensively.

"Oh, I saw. Very cute; swing enough times and hope you manage to at least cut them," the veteran Soul Reaper replied with a smirk.

Ichigo's scowl deepened, but Ryuu could see the light tint in his cheeks that proved his embarrassment.

"Trust me, Ichigo. When we're done with you…you'll be just below adequate."

"Screw you!"

* * *

"Whoa! Where did this giant room come from? How long has it been here?" Kisuke asked after the group made their way into the underground training area.

"I have no idea, Mr. Urahara, I'm just as stumped as you are," Ryuu said, playing along with Kisuke's pretentious ignorance.

"You two aren't fooling anyone, you know," Ichigo grumbled.

"You're right, Mr. Kurosaki! There's no need to hide this 'study hall'," Kisuke replied keeping up the charade. "It's a masterpiece created by the culmination of great style and our advanced technology that I built all for you! It-"

"Don't overdo it, Kisuke," Ryuu said in mild annoyance.

"Aw, but it was such a vast undertaking that I completed it in one day!" Kisuke pretended to whine.

"And I'm sure it's a fascinating story, but we have work to do, no?"

"Oh very well," the exiled eccentric said with a shrug. "I'll tell him the story another time."

"I don't really care," Ichigo said casually as he proceeded to stretch. "You guys are saying we have work to do, so let's get started already."

"Impatience doesn't win battles, Ichigo," Ryuu reproached.

"But his spirit is to be commended," Kisuke noted. "Then we shall grant you your wish. Shall we begin?"

Before Ichigo could ask what Kisuke meant, the odd shop owner thrust the butt of his cane against the boy's forehead. Ichigo's soul was propelled from its mortal shell and sent tumbling back still attached via soul chain.

Once he stopped rolling, he looked up and glared furiously at Kisuke.

"What the hell was that for?" he demanded as got to his feet only to find the task much more difficult than usual. The teen looked down and found the chain that he had no doubt seen multiple times during his tenure as a Substitute Soul Reaper.

"This is your first time, isn't it? To be separated from your body as nothing more than an ordinary soul?" Kisuke asked knowingly. "I imagine you're finding it difficult to breathe right now? Moving is also proving to be difficult, is it not?"

"How do you…" Ichigo tried to ask, but found himself stopping to catch his breath.

"During your last battle," Kisuke began, "the source of you power, your Soul Sleep, and the booster for that power, your Saketsu, were both destroyed by the one called Byakuya Kuchiki," Kisuke explained. "Basically, you're just an ordinary human soul with no spiritual powers whatsoever. If you want to fight a Soul Reaper, unless your spiritual power is restored you won't stand a chance."

"The first thing you're going to learn is how to move the spiritual body of yours freely. Spiritual power has a very powerful effect on the spirit. In other words, the more your spiritual powers increase, the sharper the movements of your spiritual body will be. If you can move your spiritual body faster than your mortal body, then that means you have made a full recovery of your spiritual power."

Ichigo for his part looked very confused. Ryuu knew from Tatsuki's description that the boy could be a bit dense at times. He was most likely just waiting for the lecture to end.

"I don't really get it," Ichigo stated. "What exactly do you want me to do? Gymnastic exercises or something?"

"Don't be a smartass, Ichigo," Ryuu chided.

"Maybe it would be better if we just started?" Kisuke suggested. "Hey! Are you ready?" he called out in the direction behind him.

Ichigo looked past the shopkeeper and spotted Ururu walking towards them using her skirt to carry some rather comical looking fighting gear.

"N-Nice to meet you," she greeted meekly.

"Um…hello?" Ichigo greeted back unsure of what was going on.

"Your first lesson!" Kisuke stated cheerfully. "Try fighting Ururu."

"What?"

"The rules are simple: as soon as one of you is no longer able to move, the lesson ends! So just try to knock _her_ out before she knocks _you_ out!" Kisuke explained.

"Are you out of your mind? You want me to fight a little girl?" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Oh? I think she prove to be quite a challenge in your current state," Kisuke replied nonchalantly.

"What'd you say?" Ichigo demanded angrily.

"Please put these on," Ururu said as she dropped the second set of gear and began putting on her own.

"What? Wait, I'm not gonna-"Ichigo tried to protest, but was cut off by Ururu.

"Please put these on or you will die," the tiny girl said.

"Wha-" before Ichigo could even get the full word out, Ururu was already two inches away from his face with her fist reared back. As soon as her small fist made contact, a massive dust cloud erupted.

"You see…I told you so," Kisuke said grimly.

A few seconds later, most of the dust had cleared and Ururu was finally visible, but Ichigo was nowhere in sight.

"He's not getting up," Jinta noted.

"Do you think he's dead?" Tessai asked.

"Good question," Kisuke replied.

"There he is!" Ryuu stated upon seeing Ichigo come sliding out of the dust cloud looking no worse for wear.

"Good, he's alive," Ryuu said with a relieved sigh. "Kisuke, I leave this in your capable hands," Ryuu added clapping his friend on the shoulder before heading towards the ladder that led up to the shop.

"We'll take good care of him!" Kisuke called out.

Ryuu exited the underground training and the shop. He had faith in Kisuke's training methods- strange though they may be- and decided he wasn't needed for Ichigo's training. He would oversee the youth's progress over the next ten days, but Kisuke was right in stating that any training regimen Ryuu had lined up would have most likely resulted in the boy's death. Besides, he had to get his own affairs in order. He would need to find someone else to man the dojo, and eventually break the news to his students that he was departing. He would be leaving the World of the Living for the Soul Society with Ichigo.

Honestly, he did feel bad that he would be leaving his students behind, especially Tatsuki, but this was world was not his home. His home was in the Soul Society, his life was in the Soul Society, and the love of his life was in the Soul Society. As much as he had come to care for his students, he couldn't stay in Karakura Town, it wasn't where he belonged.

All he wanted was to hold Retsu in his arms again. Soon, he would be one step closer to having her back.

* * *

"I'll get it!" Yuzu Kurosaki announced as she hurried towards the door upon hearing the doorbell. She opened the door and looked up in surprise at the man behind it.

"Mr. Hiromasa?"

"Hello, Yuzu," Ryuu greeted with a friendly smile. "I'm here to see your father. Is he home by any chance?"

"Yes, please come in," Yuzu answered politely as she opened the door further for her guest. "He should be in the living room. Follow me."

Ryuu followed the little girl into the Kurosaki house and was led to the living room where Isshin was found sitting on the couch reading the newspaper.

"Daddy, Mr. Hiromasa is here to see you," she said aloud.

Isshin's ears perked up at the mention or Ryuu and turned his head around to give Ryuu his best impression of a surprised friend. The crafty patriarch probably sensed Ryuu's spiritual pressure a mile away and was well aware of who had rung his doorbell.

"Ryuu! What an unexpected surprise!" Isshin exclaimed cheerfully.

"Well, I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop in and say hello to my favorite family," Ryuu replied with a grin.

"Well, don't just stand there, take a seat," Isshin insisted gesturing to the armchair next to the couch.

"Can I get you anything, Mr. Hiromasa?" Yuzu asked.

"No thank you, Yuzu, I'm fine," Ryuu replied.

"Okay. Daddy, I'll go get started on dinner now," the tiny youth stated before hurrying off into the kitchen.

"She's going to make some lucky man very happy one day," Ryuu mused.

"No one's good enough for my little girl," Isshin scoffed.

"I assume you know why I'm here," Ryuu said knowingly.

Isshin folded up his newspaper and let out a long sigh.

"How's he doing?" he asked.

"When I left, he was still alive," Ryuu responded.

"That's a start I suppose."

"Are you really alright this?" Ryuu asked curiously.

Isshin leaned back against the couch and stared at the wall, appearing to be in deep thought.

He had allowed his son to take part in training that could potentially get him killed in order to take part in was essentially a suicide mission. Was it poor parenting? Of course it was. No self-respecting parent would knowingly allow their child to take part in such danger. Did he want his only son to actually do this? No. He would have preferred it if his children had remained blissfully ignorant of the world he once belonged to. It seemed that that was just a futile dream at this point. In retrospect, perhaps he should have anticipated it.

In any case, it wasn't like he could stop Ichigo; he knew his son too well. Even if he put bars on his window, the boy would have found a way to break free and run off to rescue his friend. That was Ichigo's most admirable trait as well as his biggest flaw.

"To ask if I'm okay with just letting my son run off to a place you and both know would chew him up and spit him back out if he screws up…yeah, I guess I'm fine with it," Isshin finally answered.

Ryuu let out a dry laugh. Isshin was always able to make light of any situation, no matter how grim.

"Isshin…I owe you an apology," Ryuu stated with a light frown.

"Captain Hiromasa is apologizing? The world has gone mad!" Isshin exclaimed.

"I don't have to do this you know!" Ryuu snapped.

"No, please, go on, this is a first!" Isshin said with a chuckle.

"You didn't deserve my anger during our last visit. It was wrong of me to get upset over you merely stating the truth," Ryuu continued doing his best to ignore his former Third Seat's buffoonery. "But understand, Isshin, I miss my wife, I miss my home. I would do anything to get it all back."

"I understand, Ryuu," Isshin said his expression turning to one of sympathy. "I don't blame you for being upset. You had everything you held dear taken from you. If I were in your position I'd probably be ready to break through the gates too…but have you actually thought about what would happen when you ran into Retsu?"

"Constantly."

"And?"

"I honestly don't know."

"Have you considered Aizen might be planning on that exact scenario?" Isshin inquired.

"Kisuke has already warned me of that. It _does_ sound like something Aizen would do," Ryuu said in agreement. "He probably expects me to go back and make a run straight for him. Perhaps use my loved for my wife against me. I'll know soon enough."

"What do you…you're leaving," Isshin stated in realization.

Ryuu nodded. "As soon as your son's training is complete and Kisuke finishes his entry point into the Soul Society. That's part of why I came, Isshin, to say goodbye. Whatever happens, whether I live or die, I won't be coming back to this place."

"Your mind's made up then?"

"Yes. I've waited too long, Isshin. It's now or never."

"You do realize that you may have to fight your old comrades, not just your wife," Isshin pointed out. "Are you strong enough to fight them?"

"Physically, yes. If you're asking if I'm emotionally ready for it then I don't have an answer."

"Just be careful, Ryuu. Your enemy is not someone you can beat with a single stroke," Isshin warned. "When I left the Soul Society, Aizen already had everyone wrapped around his finger. He's the last person anyone would accuse of being the monster he truly is. You'll never get him to confess and if you manage to kill him without proving your innocence…there will be nowhere for you to run."

Ryuu was silent for several moments. He knew Isshin was right. His former Third Seat was always so damn perceptive despite behaving like a fool. Fortunately, Ryuu had already resigned himself to his fate. He would either stop Aizen or die trying. If he succeeded, at least the Soul Society would be safe…Retsu would be safe.

"Either way, I have to stop him before it's too late…if it isn't already."

* * *

It was rare for Retsu Unohana to have any personal time. Her rank as Captain of Squad Four and duties as the most skilled medical expert in the Seireitei rarely allowed for any time to herself. Tonight had been just one of those rare moments were there were no serious injuries to attend to and a miniscule amount of paper work. She chose to spend this precious time by drinking tea on her patio beneath the moonlight.

The Seireitei had been in uproar lately. It had been quite some time since a formal execution had been announced. It wasn't the nature of the crime that had been the cause of so much gossip, but rather the identity of the perpetrator.

The Kuchikis had always been an example of a law abiding family. They followed every word of the law to the letter and would sooner renounce their station and liberties than break it for any reason. Hence the shock when a member of the Kuchiki family was convicted of treason by granting her powers to a human.

Retsu did not believe in passing judgment on others based on hearsay alone. She did not know the full story and therefor decided not to form either a positive or negative opinion on Rukia Kuchiki. Not that it was any of her concern. Her first and foremost charge was the protection of the Seireitei from threats both foreign and domestic and it was not her place to involve herself with what was a family affair and not just a crime that fell outside her own jurisdiction to begin with.

These were all thoughts she quickly pushed away for the sake of enjoying her evening. The night was so serene. It would have been perfect if she had someone to share it with.

She instantly recalled a person she would have shared a night like this and so many others with. He was the first thing she thought of when she woke up and the last thing thought of when she retired for bed. Her husband, Ryuu Hiromasa…or former husband as many had been calling him.

Ryuu's supposed involvement in the heinous crimes against the former captains and lieutenants of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads had come as nothing short of a shock to her one hundred years ago. She never once believed that the man she loved could commit such an atrocity. When his guilt had been announced by the Central Forty-Six and then the Head Captain, it marked the first time in her long tenure as Captain that Retsu Unohana had broken her calm demeanor and vocally and fervently objected her superior.

She refused to believe such a thing could be true and insisted that there must have been some mistake, but with her husband's abandonment of his post and all too sudden disappearance from the Soul Society, she found herself unable to stop the torrent of doubts that had flooded her. She couldn't recall a time when she had cried so much in her entire life. Her husband had been branded a traitor and vanished from her life. What only served to twist the knife further was the incredible news she had spent days preparing to tell him before the incident.

Ryuu was going to be a father.

The memories caused a sudden surge of emotion to course through her and without her realizing it, a single tear slid down her cheek. She brought her face to her hand and wiped the tear away, but it was too late. More tears had begun to fall as the memory of the only man she had ever loved tormented her.

She wept. Like on so many other nights since that day, Retsu Unohana wept alone and heartbroken.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note****: Hey there, guys! I come to you early with what is probably my quickest update to a story ever! I'm sorry to say that this a short chapter, but I felt it was the appropriate way to end what has been the most aggravating arc to write about for me. That's right; Ryuu is finally heading to the Soul Society and to the scenes that I really want to write! Until then, please enjoy this short, but sweet chapter.**

* * *

"You're really leaving?" Tatsuki asked in shock.

"Yes," Ryuu said with a nod.

After making sure everything was in order over the last two weeks, all that was left was to break the news to his favorite student. He had cancelled classes indefinitely and managed to find a replacement instructor sooner than he had hoped. He hadn't formally told his students the news due to his supervision over the training of both Ichigo and his friends, but now that the day had finally come, he decided it was time to tell the best student he had ever had- human or Soul Reaper- that he was leaving.

"I'm sorry, Tatsuki," Ryuu said sadly. "I should have told you sooner."

Tatsuki was silent for several moments as the two of them stood outside her house. The man who had helped her become famous as the second strongest woman in all of Japan was suddenly walking out of her life. She wasn't sure what to feel. Anger, hurt, sadness, betrayal, confusion? All those feelings fought for dominance within her and neither one was winning.

"Can you at least give me a reason," she asked with a frown. Perhaps knowing the reason would help her realize exactly what to feel.

"It's…well…it's a family matter," Ryuu said trying to find the appropriate words. It wasn't entirely a lie. Ryuu _did_ have family where he was going and it was part of the reason why he was leaving.

"What kind of family matter?" Tatsuki inquired further. The short answer wasn't going to cut it. Her sensei, who had trained her since she was in grade school, was leaving and she wanted to know why.

Ryuu's brow furrowed. This wasn't something he really wanted to talk about, even if he was going to seriously play down the truth, but Tatsuki was his student; he owed her this much at least.

"I'm…going to see my wife," he answered.

"Y-Your wife?" Tatsuki asked stunned. She never knew her sensei had a wife. "Oh…"

"Yes…my wife and I have been…separated for a while now." It was the truth, if a little vague on the details.

"And you're going to try and get back together?" Tatsuki filled in.

"Hopefully," Ryuu said with a nod.

"…I understand," Tatsuki said averting her sad expression from her mentor.

"You are my best student, Tatsuki," Ryuu spoke sincerely. "I wanted to get you to the top of the tier and show the world what you were made of. You've made me proud."

"Thank you, Hiromasa-sensei," she said, her tone still sad.

"This not an excuse for you to go soft on me, Tatsuki," Ryuu said his tone suddenly becoming forceful.

Tatsuki looked up at him in surprise. He suddenly seemed to look like he always did when he was instructing her: strict, rigid, and dominating.

"I didn't spend all that time training you only for you to lose your edge the second I leave. In my absence, you will continue to train with the same degree of passion, commitment, and determination you have shown me all these years. Do I make myself clear?"

"B-But, sensei…"

"No, 'buts' Arisawa!" Ryuu snapped. "I trained you to take down anything that comes your way. Are you telling me that I did all of that for nothing?"

"Sir, no, sir!" Tatsuki shouted, snapping to attention. She knew better than to argue or talk back to her sensei at this point. Years or long, torturous drills had taught her that.

"Right, because you are a fighter, aren't you?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"You won't stand for the second strongest! You will be _**the**_ strongest!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"So you _**will**_ continue to train,and you _**will**_ continue to get stronger! Do you get me?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Good," Ryuu said in much lighter and friendlier tone as he placed a hand on Tatsuki's shoulder. "You're meant for great things, Tatsuki. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. I am truly so proud of what you become."

Tatsuki looked up in awe at her sensei. Ryuu had become like a second father to her over the years. She would miss him, no question, but he was putting all his faith in her. She would not let him down. She could not let him down.

"Thank you, sensei, for everything," she said with a smile. "Will you ever come back?"

"I don't know, but if I do I better see some improvement," Ryuu warned teasingly causing Tatsuki to giggle.

"You will," she promised.

Ryuu's grin widened a bit. Would he ever have a student like her again? He seriously doubted it. He only wished Tatsuki was a Soul Reaper.

"Goodbye, Tatsuki," he said with a proud expression before turning to leave.

Even though he was dying to get back to the Soul Society, there was a least one thing in the World of the Living that he could honestly say he would miss.

* * *

Ryuu stood patiently outside the Urahara shop later that night. He decided he would wait for the kids to show up. Ichigo's tall, muscled friend- Sado he believed his name was or Chad to some- had already showed up ten minutes ago and was quietly sitting on a box Kisuke had thrown away.

Ryuu had tried making conversation with the teen- at least he thought he was a teen-, but the boy was clearly not a conversationalist. Any topic starter had been met with a nod or an affirmative grunt. Thus he had opted for silence for now.

The silence was interrupted by the sounds of footsteps and heavy breathing. Ryuu looked ahead to see two teenagers running towards the shop. He recognized them as Ichigo and that girl, Orihime. The two came to a stop in front of him and Chad and tried to catch their breath.

"Chad? How'd you get here so fast?" Orihime asked.

"I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk and got the message around here," Chad explained.

"Around here?" Ichigo asked in confusion.

To answer his question, Chad jutted his thumb in the direction of a rather gruesome looking message that was splattered all over the ground about two yards away from the group.

"What is with that guy?" Ichigo asked in horror.

"One of his favorites jokes," Ryuu answered in annoyance. "He tried that on me once…that was the worst birthday ever."

"Anyway, where's Uryuu? I though he was coming," Ichigo asked.

"Oh, he'll be here! Just wait a while," Orihime said optimistically.

"He won't come," Chad stated bluntly.

"Chad!"

"It's no big deal if he doesn't come, Orihime," Chad assured. "Out of all of us, he's the most complex. The more complex a person is, the weaker they are."

"That's some profound logic from a highschooler. You're more perceptive than you look," Ryuu appraised.

"It just makes the most sense to me," the giant teen replied with a shrug. "Maybe it would be better if he didn't come."

"Who won't come?"

The group turned their heads in the direction of the new speaker. Uryuu stood before them carrying a small pack and wearing his full Quincy uniform.

"Didn't I say this to you before? I can't forgive myself for being so easily defeated by those Soul Reapers. So I spent my time training."

"You lost to your opponents because you- like all Quincys- mistook your arrogance for pride," Ryuu commented with a smirk.

"You're the one who's arrogant, _Soul Reaper_," Uryuu scathed, the words "Soul Reaper" dripping with venom.

"Sure…so were you late because it took you an extra twenty minutes to match your make-up with that dress you're wearing?" Ryuu asked with an amused grin, causing Ichigo to let out a bark of laughter.

"Dress? How dare you! This uniform is a prime example of the Quincy's brilliance and sense of style!" Uryuu shouted.

"It's ostentatious and unnecessary," Ryuu stated as a matter-of-factly. "A Soul Reaper's shihakusho is light weight, allows for full movement, and can be customized to meet one's specific fighting style easily. That 'gown' of yours is cute, but gives you no tactical advantage whatsoever; it's actually more a hindrance. And that cape you're wearing doesn't even serve a purpose. The only thing that dancer's dress is good for is distracting the enemy with hysterical laughter."

Ichigo started holding his sides from all the laughing he was doing and Uryuu was unable to contain his fury.

"How dare you mock me! I'll kill you were you stand, by my honor as a-"

"You kids can go on inside. Kisuke's waiting for you in the basement," Ryuu told the group.

"Hey! Don't ignore me! I'm talking to you!" Uryuu shouted.

"Keep it down! It's the middle of the night and people are trying to sleep!" the veteran Soul Reaper chided before heading inside.

"H-Hey! Get back here, damn you!" Uryuu shrieked.

"Well let's get this over with," Ichigo said as he followed the older Soul Reaper inside.

"How do you think we'll get to the Soul Society, Chad? A time machine?" Orihime asked as she went in as well.

"We're not going back in time, Orihime," Chad answered dully.

Only Uryuu was left standing alone in the street looking incredibly flustered.

"Damn uncultured imbeciles!" he growled.

* * *

The group stood before the door to the Soul Society that Kisuke had provided for them. He gave them the rundown of how exactly the door worked and how it would get them to the Soul Society. The portal would transform the make-up of their bodies into reishi which would allow them to set foot within the Soul Society.

"So we wouldn't have to remove our souls at all?" Uryuu asked as he walked forward and looked up at the tall structure.

"Correct! You guys will be able to enter the Soul Society and keep your original forms!" Kisuke explained cheerfully.

"Alright, I got it. Let go in then-aaarrrggghhh!" Ichigo shouted as Kisuke jammed the butt of his cane into the boy's kidneys.

"Not just yet! We still have one more person to wait for," the eccentric shop owner said.

"Who?" Uryuu asked.

"Me."

The group turned around to meet the speaker- Ichigo took a few extra seconds to nurse her aching side before following suit.

Ryuu was walking towards them in completely different outfit from the one he was wearing earlier. Everyone recognized it as the same shihakusho Ichigo was wearing, identifying him as a Soul Reaper. Like Ichigo, his zanpakutō was also strapped to his back with a fiery red sash.

"Well don't you look spiffy," Kisuke commented.

"I can't believe this thing once fit me," Ryuu said with a chuckle.

"Wait a minute, you're coming with us?" Uryuu asked in outrage.

"What? Did you honestly think I'd let a bunch of teenagers wander into the Soul Society aimlessly?" Ryuu asked incredulously.

"We don't need you!" Uryuu snapped.

"You're all still green behind the ears. You wouldn't last one day on your own in the Soul Society without help," the adult male rebuked.

"So you really are a Soul Reaper, Mr. Hiromasa," Orihime said in awe.

"Yes," Ryuu said with a nod.

"Then that means you lived in the Soul Society," she deduced. "Are you excited about going back home?"

"This isn't a vacation, Orihime, we have a mission to accomplish," he warned, even though he secretly was excited about returning home.

"Well now that you're here, Ryuu, I can continue," Kisuke said.

"As I was saying: entering the Senkaimon won't cause you any pain. As long as you keep going forward, you'll make it to the Soul Society. The only thing you need to worry about is time," he stated, his voice becoming serious. The time allowed to get through the Senkaimon to the Soul Society…is four minutes."

"Four minutes?" Ichigo asked in shock.

"Once the four minutes is up, the door will close… and you will all be locked forever in the Dangai Precipice World. Inside that place, in order to prevent enemies such as Hollows from getting through, there is a current called the 'Kouryuu' which can incapacitate a soul. If you get caught in it, your chances of getting through the Dangai in time will be impossible."

"Then…what do we do?" Orihime asked now slightly intimidated.

"Just walk forward," a voice said startling the young girl.

She looked down at where the voice had come from and was surprised to see her mentor from the last two weeks standing beside her.

"Mr. Yoruichi!"

"Remember what I told you," the feline said. "The heart and the soul are connected. What matters is what your heart thinks. Only those who can do it can follow Ryuu and I."

"What are you talking about," Ichigo asked with a scowl. "We're all here. We made our decision and we _will_ see it through!"

"Don't be so rash, Ichigo," Ryuu interjected. "If you die in the Soul Society or are captured by the enemy, you'll never see this place again. Do you really think you can do this?"

"Of course I do!" the teen responded without hesitation.

"Well done," Yoruichi complimented.

"Wonderful!" Kisuke cheered. "How about you guys take a few minutes to make sure everything is in order? Mr. Hiromasa and I need to talk."

Ryuu followed Kisuke off to the side and left the kids to check whatever gear they brought and mentally prepare themselves for what lied ahead of them.

"So your mind's really made up then?" Kisuke asked.

"Does it not show?" Ryuu asked as he tugged at his shihakusho.

"I admit I was surprised to see you wearing that. I almost didn't recognize you."

"Well, I'm already starting to feel like I'm home again. Oh, and one more thing," he said before slamming his fist into Kisuke's shoulder, eliciting a cry of pain from the shop keep.

"May I ask what that was for?" Kisuke asked as he rubbed his now bruised shoulder.

"Tonight reminded me of how angry I was on my birthday three years ago," Ryuu said with a satisfied smirk.

"Oh come on! The bloody message on the ceiling was funny!" Kisuke whined.

"It wasn't funny and neither was that ghoulish gigai replica of my wife you built that crawled out of TV threatening to kill me for an infidelity I never committed!"

"No one in the world as any sense of humor," Kisuke groaned causing Ryuu to sigh and rub the space between his eyes.

"You know, Kisuke, I started to think the Seireitei was ready to exile you from the start; Aizen's frame job only gave them an excuse," Ryuu said with an amused grin making his way onto his lips.

"That is a possibility," Kisuke agreed mirthfully.

The two men shared a laugh. The century spent in exile had strengthened the friendship between the two men. Ryuu now felt the same kinship with Kisuke that he felt with Shunsui and Jushiro one hundred years ago. It would be hard to imagine life without him, but with luck, if he managed to kill Aizen and prove their innocence, perhaps he could get the ban removed and allow Kisuke to return soon.

"So do you have it?" Ryuu asked when their friendly laughter subsided.

"Right here," Kisuke replied as he procured an item from inside his coat. It was a tiny vial containing a small spherical object.

"So how does this work again?" Ryuu asked as he took the vial.

"It'll block your spiritual signature from the Twelfth Divisions scanners," Kisuke explained. "My former vice president may have made some improvements, but I doubt he's thought through every contingency. Once you swallow that device, the ban the Seireitei put on your spiritual signature will no longer apply. Be warned: it'll only last for a day. After that you'll have to make every effort to conceal yourself."

"I appreciate this, Kisuke," Ryuu said gratefully before popping off the cap to the vial and swallowing the tiny orb

"It was no trouble at all. Something like this is trivial for me!" Kisuke gloated.

"And the moment's ruined," Ryuu deadpanned.

"Seriously, Ryuu, be careful," the shop owner said, the cheerfulness replaced with seriousness. "Aizen might already know you're coming. If you see his shikai, you lose whatever edge you have over him."

"I know. I'll make sure he doesn't get the upper hand," Ryuu said with a nod.

"Then I wish you luck, my friend," Kisuke stated extending a hand which Ryuu happily shook.

"Well, let's get this over with," Ryuu said as he and Kisuke made his way back to the Senkaimon.

"Are you all ready?" he asked.

There was a nod from everyone in the group and Ryuu smiled.

"Then Mr. Urahara and Mr. Tsukabishi, open that door."

Kisuke and Tessai stood on both sides of the Senkaimon and pressed their palms against the ground. A bright glow formed in the center of the door and expanded to all four sides. The Senkaimon was finally open. The way to the Soul Society was clear.

"The ways open! Go now!" Kisuke shouted.

Ryuu looked through the door that led to a home he had not seen in a century. This was it. The time he had long awaited had finally come. Every day he spent training was in preparation for lied on the opposite end of this portal. Now was the time to put his blade to work.

"I'm coming, Retsu," he whispered as he and the group of teens dashed through the door and into the unknown.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note****: For this chapter I tried to avoid using too many lines of dialogue from the manga and anime. I may have paraphrased a few things or changed some lines a bit while adding my own original dialogue in there. Writing Gin's lines in particular is hard work. I like Gin's accent in the manga and prefer it over the smooth and prim tone used in the anime. Unfortunately that make it harder for because it's like teaching myself how to write poorly. Just tell me what you all think of it, I really want to get Gin's accent as best I can.**

**DISCLAIMER~ Bleach is the property of Tite Kubo and some other crap I can't remember right now**

* * *

Ryuu had always hated traveling through the Dangai Precipice World. It was dark, gloomy, and the way the walls shifted and convulsed as if they were alive just plain freaked him out. Luckily, he didn't have to worry about being in there long, since they had to really book it to beat the four minute time limit. So far they had been running for three and the path behind them was already starting to collapse and catch up to them.

"The path's already collapsing!" Uryuu shouted. "We're running out of time!"

"If you got the time to look back, put it to better use and keep running!" Yoruichi snapped. "If the Kouryuu catches you, it's over!"

As if on cue, the walls and ceiling behind them collapsed even further. A small tendril of the purple-black goo latched onto the back of Uryuu's cape and held him back.

"Uryuu!" Ichigo shouted upon looking back at the sound of the Quincy's screams and seeing him slowly being pulled into the Kouryuu.

"Dammit!" Ryuu cursed. He had warned that brat that his outfit was too much of a hazard.

Ichigo was about to make the mistake of using his zanpakutō to cut his companion out, but fortunately Yoruichi stopped him before he could doom himself along with Uryuu. Ryuu was about to turn around and save the poor fool, but Chad beat him to it. The quiet giant tore off Uryuu's cape and hoisted him up on his shoulder effortlessly before resuming his retreat. Ryuu silently remarked on how resourceful the teen was and found himself wishing he had ten more men like him in his ranks when he was a captain.

The group resumed their flight, ignoring the protests of Uryuu who demanded to be let down and run on his own. The Quincy only stopped his shouting when he noticed a light piercing through the collapsing path behind them.

"Everyone, look! Something's coming!"

Both Ryuu and Yoruichi looked back in horror. It could only be one thing.

An incredible mass came speeding towards them like a bullet train. It was the same color and made of the same ooze that composed the rest of the surrounding area with a bright light shining brightly at the mass' "head".

"Wh-What is that thing?" Uryuu asked in fear.

"It's 'the Cleaner'!" Yoruichi exclaimed. "It appears once ever seven days to clear the area! Why today of all days?"

"The power of convenience…" Ryuu grumbled irately. "Run faster, everyone! If that thing touches you, you're dead!"

The group quickened their pace. The exit was in sight, a mere thirty or forty yards away, but the Cleaner was gaining on them, practically licking their heels. It all seemed hopeless. They would not make it in time. Ryuu and Yoruichi could probably make it out in time on their own, but neither of them would abandon the young teens. It seemed like it was over.

It was to the surprise of everyone then, when Orihime of all people stopped and faced the speeding mass of death.

The red-head placed both hands to the sky blue flower-shaped hair pins she wore and shouted "Santen Kesshun! I reject!" Three lights shot out from her hair pins and combined to form a giant bright orange triangle in front of them.

The shield had managed to keep the Cleaner from reaching them, but the powerful force behind it couldn't be held back for long. The collision had created a blast force that ejected the group of six out of the Dangai through the portal and into the Soul Society. They all landed with enough force to create large dust cloud and small triangular crater. Ryuu and Chad had managed to land gracefully. Orihime looked no worse for wear. Yoruichi, Uryuu, and Ichigo, however, were all sprawled about the crash site.

"Is everyone alright?" Orihime asked with a nonchalant smile.

Everyone was mostly silent, but Ichigo grumbled in response when Orhim commented on his "artistic landing".

"That was certainly unexpected," Uryuu commented as he reached into his robe and pulled out- to Chad and Ichigo's shock and Ryuu's disgust- a spare cape. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this so soon."

"I am embarrassed to even be in the same crater as you," Ryuu stated flatly, earning a hateful glare from the young Quincy.

"This is great! No one got hurt!" Orihime exclaimed happily before Yoruichi head-butted her in the eye.

"Did you even listen to what I said back there?" Yoruichi shouted angrily at the cowering, crying girl who was nursing her eye. "You're just lucky only the shield was touched by the Cleaner! If it touched anything else, you would be dead right now!"

"You don't have to yell!" Ichigo piped in. "We're all here because of Orihime!"

"You don't seem to get in!" Yoruichi snapped.

"Go easy on her Yoruichi," Ryuu calmly interjected. "She was just trying to help and without her actions, we'd definitely be dead."

Being complimented seemed to perk Orihime right up and she took her hands away from her eye and beamed appreciatively at Ryuu.

"Hey, the smoke is clearing," Uryuu spoke up as he finished fiddling with the last clasp on his cape.

Indeed, the dust from their collision with the ground had started to settle and the surrounding area was finally visible.

In front of them was what appeared to be an ordinary, unassuming village reminiscent of feudal era Japan. Ryuu recognized the area.

"This…is the Soul Society?" Ichigo asked in what sounded like mild disappointment mixed with surprise.

"Yes," Yoruichi replied.

"It's the area known as the Rukon District," Ryuu added. "This is the place where souls wind up after they've received a konso and are sent to the Soul Society. It's a large area that surrounds the Seireitei, which is where the Soul Reapers reside. It isn't as wealthy or as extravagant as the Seireitei, but it's a much more free area with much more residents than the Seireitei."

"But…where is everyone?" Uryuu asked curiously after some looking around.

"Hey! Look over there!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Everyone followed his direction and found a much nicer area behind them. The streets and the majority of the buildings appeared to be made of white marble, the roofing and everything else appeared to be made of fine wood or bronze colored tile. To the teens, it must have seemed like a royal city. To Ryuu, it was home.

"Finally…" he muttered under his breath.

"Looks like we landed closer than we could have hoped for," Yoruichi said.

"I get it! That's where the Soul Reapers live, right?" Ichigo asked excitedly before taking off towards the white pristine streets.

"You idiot!" Yoruichi shouted irately. "Don't go near there! It's not safe!"

"Huh?" Ichigo asked as turned back to look at her, unaware of the massive wall that was plummeting towards the ground a mere two feet in front of him. His newly acquired Soul Reaper reflexes kept him from being squashed like a grape under a hammer, but it was still a very close call.

Ryuu looked up after the first section of the familiar gate came crashing to the ground. The rest of the wall that divided the Seireitei from the Rukon District came crashing down two at a time on both sides in perfect symmetry. The shockwaves kicked up more dust into the air and everyone had to shield their eyes. Ichigo, who had been caught at the front of the shockwave, was busy coughing up the dust that had surrounded him when he heard a loud voice.

"It's been so long since someone tried to enter the West Gate without a pass," Ichigo heard the voice say.

When the dust finally started to settle, the Substitute Soul Reaper found himself overcast by a large shadow. Had a cloud blocked out the sun? He looked up, and his eyes widened in shock. The shadow wasn't caused by the sun, but by a man…a man that stood over thirty feet tall.

The man was very muscular, more so than Ichigo remembered Tessai being. Long black sideburns traveled down the sides of his face and continued down to his neck and were tied into ponytail-like tufts. He wore a uniform like Ichigo's and Ryuu's, only the entire left side of his torso was exposed revealing a silver shoulder and arm guard. On his massive head he wore a red hat with golden tassels dangling from the sides and in his giant right hand was equally giant hand axe.

"I'll treat you to a good time, kid!" he said with an amused expression before slamming the pommel of his axe down against the ground a few feet away from Ichigo, causing yet another shockwave. The giant chortled in amusement as he pulled his axe from the small hole he made in the ground.

"Come on! Attack from whatever direction you want, kiddo!"

From the same spot where they landed, Uryuu, Chad, and Orihime looked on in amazement…or in Chad's case, his stoic equivalent of amazement.

"He gigantic!" Uryuu exclaimed. "Who is he? With such a massive body, he surely can't be human, can he?"

"His name is Jidanbou," Yoruichi answered.

"He's one of the four elite warriors tasked with guarding the four gates to the Seireitei," Ryuu continued for her.

"So…all we have to do is defeat this behemoth to enter the Seireitei," the Quincy surmised.

"Don't say it as if it were so simple, boy," Ryuu berated. "Jidanbou has stood as the guardian of this gate for the last three hundred years. No one that tried to enter the Seireitei without authorization has ever gotten past him."

"He's that strong?" the boy asked in what Ryuu was mildly relieved to see was awe. It meant the boy was starting to understand the strength of the enemies that stood before them.

"Yes," Yourichi replied. "One swing from his axe is all it takes to cease your existence."

"Then how do defeat such a monster?"

"It's all a matter of mental work," Yoruichi said. "Fall back, Ichigo! We'll come up with a plan!"

To the feline's utter shock and aggravation, Orihime and Chad charged ahead as well to assist Ichigo.

"Hey! Didn't you two hear what I just said?" she shouted. "Get back here!"

"Just our luck that the only child we brought who isn't brash is the Quincy," Ryuu mused with a sigh.

"Don't talk about me as if I'm not here!" said Quincy shouted.

"I kind of wish you weren't," Ryuu replied with a wry smile.

There banter was interrupted by an even stronger axe strike to the ground from Jidanbou. Ryuu looked on to see he had struck just where Chad and Orihime were about to run and actually surged the land so horribly that it stuck out of the ground and blocked to two teenagers from progressing any further.

"Hang on!" he bellowed.

Ryuu noticed Uryuu's eyes widen further.

"T-That's unbelievable! All he did was swing his axe once…and turned the ground into a barrier!"

"That's the power of a gatekeeper," Yoruichi explained. "Their sole purpose is to keep intruders from getting past the gate through raw power and intimidation. No one in their right mind would ever stand up to stand up to someone like that, no normal person anyway."

Jidanbou looked past the wall and towards the two teens whose assault he had stopped.

"Your behavior is atrocious! What kind of backwater place did you come from anyway?" he chided. "This place has rules! First, always wash your hands before a meal. Second, never eat food that has fallen on the ground. Third, all duels are fought one-on-one. My first opponent is the orange spikey-haired kid! Until I am finished fighting with him, you two stay they there and wait patiently! You guys are guests here; you should follow the rules."

Orihime seemed despondent in being unable to help Ichigo, but what chance did she have against such an opponent. She was still human after all. She started when she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Ryuu standing beside her.

"I'll take care of this," he said as he walked past her.

He glanced at Chad and could tell the boy was already forming a sneak attack plan to assist his friend. Ryuu didn't want to take away this experience from Ichigo. He personally believed in coming out of every fight stronger than when the fight started. However, they couldn't afford to waste time or energy on Jidanbou, such things were better spent on getting past any minor enemies and getting Rukia out of there as fast as possible. Once they did that, Ryuu could attend to his own agenda: finding and killing Sosuke Aizen. Also, being so close to home and Retsu, was admittedly making him anxious and he would be damned if he would let a gatekeeper get in his way when he was so close.

Before he could even make his way over the wall Jidanbou had created, however, Ichigo spoke up.

"Hey! Chad, Orihime!" he called out.

"Ah! Ichigo!" Orihime exclaimed happily. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine!" he replied.

"Wait right there! Mr. Hiromasa is coming over!"

"Don't worry about it! Just stay right there! Don't help me!"

Everyone's face bore a surprised look.

"Uh…what do you mean, Ichigo?" Orihime asked.

"Just wait right there. I'll be okay," the boy answered.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Uryuu demanded loudly. "You've seen how strong he is! I don't care what training you received in ten days, you can't beat him by yourself!"

"Oh! Uryuu, you're here too?" Ichigo asked appearing to be genuinely surprised, causing Ryuu to snicker.

"I've been here the whole time!" the Quincy shouted irately. "Are you trying to mock me?"

"Geez, you're annoying…" Ryuu heard Ichigo mutter.

"Can you fight?" Chad asked.

There was a brief silence before they received an answer

"Maybe…" Ichigo answered thoughtfully.

"What do you mean 'maybe'?" Uryuu shouted again.

"Will you shut up?" Ryuu snapped in annoyance, effectively silencing the bifocal teen.

He took in a deep, calming breath before turning back to the wall.

"Are you sure you want to fight him, Ichigo?" Ryuu asked.

"Yeah," Ichigo responded confidently. "I can do this."

"Then show them what you've learned in the past ten days," the adult Soul Reaper said with a grin.

"You are seriously going to let him do this?" Uryuu asked incredulously.

"And why not?" Ryuu replied. "Ichigo should be ready for this."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Do you know what Ichigo did in ten days?"

The young Quincy only responded with raised brow.

"The plan had been for him to take ten days to slowly recover his powers and give him the basic skills necessary to get through the Soul Society, save Rukia, and get out. However, none of us could have predicted the boy's rapid healing. By the fifth day he made a full recovery. With the five days we had left, Ichigo did nothing but train. He's not the same amateur you challenged to a duel anymore."

"Oh, so he's learned some special battle skills?"

"No," Ryuu answered causing Uryuu to look at him in confusion. "All that kid learned was how to fight until he dropped and without fear. Nothing more, nothing less."

"…are you serious?" Uryuu deadpanned. "This isn't going to work."

"Don't be so cynical. Kisuke and I believe in learning on the job. A novice will only fight that much harder if their life is on the line."

The battle didn't last as long as Ryuu had feared and Ichigo came out of it with barely a scratch on him. He easily fended off Jidanbou's powerful axe swings- an act that made the giant gate keeper very happy. The battle revealed Jidanbou's poor math skills as well as a second axe that was brought out when Ichigo started gaining an edge. However, even with the combined power of both axes, Jidanbou was unable to defeat Ichigo, and the young Substitute Soul Reaper managed to destroy both of his axes and knock the giant man down.

His friends looked on in awe. They had all worried that Ichigo would be lucky enough to come out of this alive.

"A-Amazing!" Uryuu exclaimed mouth agape. "He actually managed to bring him down!"

It was to the continued shock of everyone that Jidanbou actually managed to spring back up to his feet, looking only slightly worn.

"Ha! That was close!" he stated with an embarrassed chuckle. "I got distracted for a second and let myself get knocked down!"

The young giant looked down at the face of a confused-looking Ichigo and started to laugh boisterously.

"What's with that look? Did you really think you beat me? Ha! There's no way I could be beaten by a guy like you! You bumpkins sure are full of yourselves! Now I'll finish you off with my…axe?"

It was only then that Jiddanbou realized that the blades of his axes had been completely obliterated, leaving only the broken handles.

"What the- Where's my axe?" he demanded worriedly. "My…my axe!"

Before anyone knew what to expect, the giant guardian was on his knees, slamming his broken axe handles into the ground, causing small tremors with each hit, and bawling like a child whose toy was just broken.

"You bastard!" he wailed. "My axes are broken! It's all your fault!"

"Is he…seriously crying?" Uryuu asked while observing the strange scene.

"Jidanbou was always…a child at heart," Ryuu commented looking on in embarrassment for the gargantuan man.

"Is he…is he going to be okay?" Orihime asked curiously.

"Yes…maybe…I don't know," Ryuu answered awkwardly.

Ichigo, for his part, was just completely at a loss for what to do next. He had never consoled a sobbing adult before, let alone one that was larger than his own house.

"Uh…this is a little weird, but…sorry?" he tried. "I probably didn't have to break both you're axes; I could have let you keep one, I guess…"

Jidanbou turned his tear-stained face from the ground to look at Ichigo and placed both of his large hands on his shoulders.

"You…you're such a good guy!" he exclaimed tearfully. "I'm your enemy, but you actually care about me and feel sorry for breaking my axes! You're so kind! But look at me, crying like a baby because of a broken weapon…I lost. I lost as a warrior and as a man!" he shouted miserably.

The giant took a few deep breaths, calmed his sobbing, and wiped his tears away before speaking again.

"I have been the gatekeeper of the West Gate for three hundred years and have never lost a battle. You are the first one to beat me," he stated. "I, Jidanbou Ikanzaka hereby grant you permission to pass through the West Gate into the Seireitei," he announced with a small grin.

"Wha- Wait! Are you serious?" Ichigo asked excitedly.

"Can you really let us in?" Uryuu asked warily as he walked up towards the two.

"Yes," Jidanbou nodded. "Your leader defeated me. I have no right to deny you passage."

"What? Ichigo's not the leader!" the black-haired teen shouted in outrage.

"Neither are you," Ryuu stated dryly as he came up behind.

"Ichigo…is that your name?" Jidanbou asked the orange-haired boy.

"Yeah," he replied with a proud grin. "Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Ichigo…what a cute name," the giant commented.

"It's not cute!" Ichigo shouted angrily.

"It's not exactly masculine either," Ryuu muttered with a snicker.

"I heard that old man!"

"I'm not sure why you want to go through, but be careful, Ichigo. The warriors inside are very strong," Jidanbou warned.

"I know," Ichigo replied with a nod.

"…okay then. You better be prepared. I'm opening the gate now," the giant man said as he crouched down and slid his massive fingers beneath the gate. "Once the gate's open, you hurry inside."

Jidanbou took a deep breath and then with his semi-truck size arms, lifted the gate upwards before stepping beneath it to get a better hold.

The kids looked utterly amazed by what they were seeing. Ryuu was about to grin happily as the way was opened, but he felt a familiar presence close by that immediately set him on edge.

He had memorized the spiritual signature of three Soul Reapers one hundred years ago. For the last century, he held onto the memory of that trio of spiritual pressure. For the last century the memory filled him with rage. This one, he remembered, was young at the time. Young…but incredibly lethal.

He faintly heard Ichigo's voice asking Jidanbou what was wrong and heard the fear in the giant's voice as he uttered one of three names belonging to the people who ruined so many lives. Ryuu's eyes remained fixated on the young man approaching them. He had grown since he last saw him…but that same eerie grin remained. It was him alright.

Gin Ichimaru.

Ryuu's fists clenched tightly at his side. The young man had been just a boy the last time Ryuu saw him, but he was aware of his rank as a Third Seat of Squad Five. He recalled hearing about Gin's fame as a child prodigy and his graduation from the academy after only one year. That raw talent was something Ryuu remembered desiring for his squad, but the boy had applied for Squad Five instead, most likely because Aizen got his hooks into once he sensed his potential as well. Even then, as just a child, the boy had a frightening presence. To the untrained eye, he may have seemed as just being a happy carefree child, but beneath the foxlike grin, those closed eyes, and that youthful face, Ryuu sensed…something dark…something insidious.

Now, the same boy who stood before him on that night all those years ago was casually strolling up to the gate, draped in a captain's haori.

"Well, what's this now?" Gin asked curiously.

The was a light gust of wind and Ryuu heard what sounded like a shot of air. The next thing he knew, Jidanbou's left arm went flying from his body and into the streets behind them.

"What a shame this is," the silver-haired man said facetiously. "A Gate Keeper isn't s'posed ta open the gate."

As is reacting to Gin's voice, blood spurted from the stump that was once Jidanbou's left arm. The man screamed in agony as the reality of his injury had finally sunk in. Ichigo and his friends looked in horror. Ryuu and Yoruichi glared angrily as Gin merely stood there, smiling as the blood rained down all over.

With only one arm remaining, the weight of the gate became a bit much for Jidanbou. He fell to his knees and held up the gate using his shoulders and his remaining arm, panting furiously from the pain

"Wow! Ya can still hold the gate up with just one arm?" Gin asked in mocking amazement. "No wonder yer of the Seireitei's elite. However, ya still failed as a Gate Keeper."

'_Dammit!'_ Ryuu though furiously. _'I know it would be foolish to think that a captain might not show up to investigate, but Ichimaru. This is too perfect a scenario. Aizen must know we're here.'_

They had to fall back. Ichimaru was on verge of being captain class as a child; he didn't want to think about how strong the last century had made him. If this became a battle, the entire strength of the Seireitei would come down upon them and this whole venture would have been for nothing. Rukia would die, Aizen would get his hands on the Hougyoku, and…he didn't want to think about the end results of that scenario.

"But, I was defeated," Jidanbou tried to explain. "A Gate Keeper can't deny passage to the one who beats him."

"What're ya talkin' about?" Gin asked. "Ya don't get it. Even if the Gate Keeper loses, he still can't open the door. If the Gate Keeper lost then that means…he gotta die," he explained as his smile became much more wicked.

Before Ryuu could stop him, Ichigo had lunged towards Ichimaru. The Soul Reaper captain had managed to effortlessly block the strike with his zanpakutō before the younger of the two leapt back and pointed his cleaver-like zanpakutō at Gin.

"What the hell do you think you're doing you bastard?" the boy demanded brashly.

"What the hell does he think _he's_ doing?" Yoruichi seethed.

"Every bit the reckless moron Isshin ever was," Ryuu grumbled as he ran his hand down his face.

"I beat Jidanbou fair and square and then you just show up outta nowhere and starting attacking!" Ichigo shouted at Gin who merely looked at the boy in amusement.

"Orihime, take care of Jidanbou's injury," he ordered.

"Y-Yes!"

"Let's go!" Ichigo challenged. "If you want to fight so badly, I'll be your opponent!"

"What an interestin' kid ya are," Gin commented. "Aren'tcha afraid of me?"

"No!"

"Stop messing around, Ichigo!" Yourichi shouted. "Fall back you idiot!"

"Why? I can still fight!" the teen protested.

"Yer name's…Ichigo Kurosaki?" Gin asked.

"Huh? How do you know my name?" Ichigo asked curiously.

Gin grinned a little wider and began to walk away.

"In that case, I definitely can't let ya pass," Gin stated as he raised his zanpakuto.

"So what're you gonna do?" Ichigo asked undauntedly. "Attack me with that dagger of yours?"

"This ain't a knife…this is my zanpakutō."

As soon as Gin finished speaking, he quickly turned around, crouched slightly, and reared his blade back. Ryuu's eyes widened. He had seen this attack before.

"Shoot 'em dead…Shinsō," he commanded.

He thrust his blade forward and the blade itself extended towards Ichigo at an incredible speed. Ichigo was about to raise his blade to defend himself, but the strike never came. Instead, Ryuu was suddenly standing in front of him. The older man, drew his zanpakutō from the sheath on his back, faster than Ichigo had ever seen and quickly swatted the extending blade away. The blade collided into the by the gate and stopped extending upon hitting the solid sekiseki.

Gin looked on curiously as his blade returned to its normal size, his smile faltering for a moment.

"I know that sword…"he mused before his grin spread gleefully across his face once again. "Capn' Hiromasa!"

"It's been too long, Third Seat Ichimaru," Ryuu replied with a stern glare.

"It's _Capn'_ Ichimaru now," the fox man clarified, tugging at the hem of his haori.

"Oh, please forgive. I don't call people by titles they don't deserve."

"The Head Captain, seemed ta think I deserve it," Gin responded with a shrug. "But really, who are ya to judge? Yer not a capn'…not anymore."

"Where's Tōsen?" Ryuu asked ignoring the barb. "Is he too busy licking at Aizen's heels like a lost mutt to come see me?"

"Can't say I know where Capn' Tōsen is, but what makes ya think I came here to see you?"

"Don't take me for a fool, Gin! I'm not and neither are you!" the former captain stated raising his voice slightly. "Why are you here? Did Aizen tell you to find out who came? How long's he been watching? Why do you know of Ichigo?"

That was the question that had been really bugging him since Gin revealed he knew Ichigo's name. Of course there was the likelihood that the Seireitei found out about Ichigo through Rukia or Byakuya, but somehow Ryuu felt deep within his gut that it was than that. It could have been paranoia, but he just felt it.

"I could tell ya…" Gin said slyly, "…but that would spoil the surprise!"

"I have no problem killing you right now, Ichimaru!" Ryuu shouted as he pointed his long blade at the young man.

"What are you doing, Mr. Hiromasa?" Ichigo asked in confusion. "I'm the one who fighting this g-"

"Stay out of this, Ichigo!" Ryuu shouted. "Use your brain for once! Any idiot could see that this man is too powerful for you to even think of fighting!"

"I can beat-" Ichigo tried to protest, but Ryuu cut him off once more.

"No you can't! This man's been a cold killer since he was just a child, before you were even born!"

"Well that was mean!" Gin said in mock hurt.

"Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth!" Ryuu shouted furiously. "I've been waiting for this day for one hundred years, when I can end the lives of the three who had destroyed so much!"

"That's enough, Ryuu!" Yoruichi shouted. "Now isn't the time for your vendetta!"

"He's right here in front of me!" he replied angrily. "I can kill him and then Aizen will be down to one puppet to play with!"

Yoruichi had enough. She jumped up and swatted Ryuu across the face with a clawed paw.

Ryuu's eyes widened in shock at what she had done. She had cut him pretty; he could feel blood flowing freely down his cheek. However, she had affectively snapped him out of his anger.

"Stop being an idiot! This isn't what we came here for!" she shouted. "If you fight him now, others will show up. Are you prepared to cut through a hundred innocent Soul Reapers to kill one man? What if Retsu shows up?"

That one really struck Ryuu. He had been so consumed by his century old anger and desire for vengeance that he had lost sight of nearly everything else. He took a deep breath and lowered his blade.

"So, whatcha gonna do, Capn' Hiromasa?" Gin asked gleefully.

Ryuu didn't respond. He merely raised his hand and pointed his middle finger and his pointer finger over his shoulder.

"Hado #1, Shō," he chanted.

The shockwave of the kido launched from his two fingers and threw Ichigo backwards through the gate.

"Jidanbou, drop the gate!" Ryuu ordered.

It wasn't like the giant had a choice. He was losing a lot of blood and the door was becoming heavier by the second. He hefted the gate up just enough for him to let himself fall back. Everyone backed up as the gate started to close, but Ryuu stood facing Gin for a moment longer.

"Another time, Ichimaru," he promised.

"I'll say hiya to Capn' Unohana for ya," Gin said cheerfully.

Ryuu glared once more before he shunpoed away behind the closing gate.

"Bye bye!" Gin said with a wave before the gate closed completely.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:**** Sorry this took a little long. I had meant to get this out last Friday, but I got called in to work at the last minute and spent the entire weekend working instead. Luckily, I managed to pull an all-nighter and get this out to all of you.**

* * *

"What the hell was that about?" Ichigo demanded as fisted the hem of Ryuu's shihakushō. "Why did you get in the way? Now we're back outside the gate!"

He wasn't the only one giving Ryuu suspicious looks. Orihime, Chad, and Uryuu were all looking at him warily having witnessed the exchange between him and Ichimaru. They were looking at him as if he were a total stranger to them.

Ryuu only stared back at Ichigo calmly and pointed past the boys shoulder behind.

"Would you rather interrogate me or would you rather help Jidanbou?" he asked evenly.

"Wha-Oh!" Ichigo exclaimed in realization.

Indeed, Jidanbou was still sprawled out on the ground with his arm still missing.

Ichigo was about to ask Orihime to fix the giant's arm, when they all heard the sound of people talking. Everyone turned to the source and saw people donned in clothing that matched the feudal look of the village coming out the buildings.

"These people…were they hiding?" Uryuu was the first to ask.

"Who are they?" Orihime asked.

"Residents of the Soul Society," Yoruichi answered. "They were hiding because they were afraid. We weren't guided here by Soul Reapers; that makes us intruders. They don't know whether we're friend or foe."

"Are they…dangerous?" Ichigo asked warily.

"Doubtful," the feline answered.

"Hey! Mister!" a young voice shouted. The group watched a young boy push his way to the front of the crowd and start waving at one of them. "It's me! Shibata, the parakeet!"

Chad was the one who almost instant recognized the little boy. Ryuu recalled the incident with the possessed parakeet and the Hollow that used it as bait for its kills. It gave him some slight relief to know that the boy was in the best possible district in the Rukon.

After Orihime assured everyone that she could heal Jidanbou's mortal injury, Chad went off to speak with Shibata while the villagers gathered up Jidanbou's arm and, through a group effort, managed to return it to Jidanbou's body. She went through her chant, and an orange oval shaped dome covered Jidanbou's shoulder and his arm, slowly but surely making him whole again.

While the teens were distracted by the environment around them, Yoruichi pulled Ryuu to the side so he was no longer within earshot of the group.

"Do you want to tell me what the hell _that_ was?" she demanded immediately.

"I saw a chance and I tried to take it," Ryuu replied passively. He was aware of just how royally he screwed up.

"You endangered this entire mission and put those kids in danger because you suddenly reverted to the mindset of a spoiled child throwing a temper tantrum!" she snapped. "What would you have done if more Soul Reapers showed up? Would you have killed them? Would force the kids to fight for your own vendetta?"

"I'm sorry alright?" Ryuu shouted angrily. He didn't want a lecture, even though he deserved it.

"No it's not alright! I told Kisuke that you wouldn't be able to handle this and you're already proving me right, Ryuu. I'm just lucky he was cautious enough to agree with me."

"What are you talking about?" the angry Soul Reaper asked suspiciously.

"That pill Kisuke gave you to conceal your spiritual pressure, it has another purpose," she explained. "It reacts to a binding Kido that I will perform if you get out of control. If you pull another bull-headed stunt like that again, I will activate the Kido and your body will be put in stasis for three days. Your spiritual pressure will remain hidden, but you will be left behind!"

"Are you serious, Yoruichi?" Ryuu demanded in outrage.

"You're lucky I managed to calm you down," she responded unfazed by his anger. "If you didn't get yourself out of there I would have used the pill right then and we would have left you in the Rukon District until we rescued Rukia."

"Y-You…damned…!" He was so angry he could even form a cohesive response.

"Don't get angry with me; you brought this on yourself," she continued. "There's more to this than simply killing Aizen, Ryuu, you know that. Every second we don't have the Hougyoku is one more second Aizen is closer to obtaining it. Do you want that? Are you prepared to put everything at risk for the sake of petty revenge?"

"Petty?" He would hardly call what Aizen had gotten away with petty.

"Regardless of how you fell, that is how it stands, Ryuu, and you know I'm right," the cat said with finality.

Despite how pissed she had just made him, he agreed with her. He had put four innocent kids in danger because he let his anger get the better of him. He saw Ichimaru and his mind flashed back to a hundred years ago; three traitors standing before him, one of his friends and comrades suffering a grueling and excruciating transformation, and the other lying on the ground already on death's door. He couldn't even say he was doing it for Shinji and the others partly because they had embraced their newfound powers and put the past behind them and partly because deep down, he just wanted his life back and nothing else.

"I'm sorry," he repeated with sincerity.

"I believe you and I forgive you," Yoruichi replied dropping her tone to a much calmer level. "You're here for the same goal as I am, Ryuu. To save Rukia is also to stop Aizen."

"I know, but Rukia's life is our primary concern," he said with a nod. He had finally found his sense. He was here to rescue an innocent Soul Reaper that had been inadvertently dragged into a war she didn't even know was on the verge of happening. "So what do we do now? The gates were a bad idea from the start."

Before Yoruichi could respond, both felt the approaching presence of two familiar spiritual signatures.

"What's going on, Mr. Hiromasa?" Ichigo demanded with a scowl.

"You two are clearly hiding something from us," Uryuu added in agreement possibly for the first time with Ichigo.

Ryuu sighed in frustration. He had hoped not to involve them in this.

"It's complicated," he tried.

"Tell us anyway," Ichigo pressed. Damn, the kid was persistent.

Ryuu decided hiding it wasn't an option any longer. They couldn't do this if they didn't trust each other.

"I tell you, all of you, tonight," he said.

"And then we can discuss how we'll get into the Seireitei," Yoruichi added trying to remind the two young men of their focus.

* * *

The elder of the district had invited the group to meet in his house for the night. It was there that Ryuu told Ichigo and friends the other reason why he was there. He told them what Aizen had done, how he left his wife behind, how he had escaped and went into hiding, and- though he was unsure of telling them at first- the hidden reason why rescuing Rukia was so important. They all listened intently, not saying a word. Orihime looked utterly fascinated, Ichigo's gaze was scrutinizing, Uryuu's was the same only void of any visible sympathy, and Chad…Chad remained a wall of stoicism as always.

"So you left your wife? That's so sad!" Orihime exclaimed. Ryuu thought it was somewhat adorable that the girl openly wore her heart on her sleeve.

"Why didn't you come back and explain?" Ichigo asked.

"Even if I did it wouldn't matter. In the eyes of the law I was already guilty. Involving Retsu at that point would only put her at risk," Ryuu explained.

"To not see your wife in a hundred years…it's like some beautiful tragic romantic fairytale with a dragon and a knight and a princess and a-"

"I assure you it's nothing like that at all," Ryuu stated cutting Orihime off before she did another mental pivot.

"I'm more concerned about this Sosuke Aizen and this Hougyoku you put inside of Rukia," Uryuu spoke up as he adjusted his glasses. "What exactly does he want with it?"

"We don't know exactly what he plans to do with it. Aizen's motives are insidious no doubt, but we still haven't figured out exactly what he wants. All we know is that the Hougyoku has the power to grant him the means to achieve whatever goal he desires."

"But you said it only cures people from being turned into Hollows," Chad piped in. "What does he want with that?"

"We actually don't know what the Hougyoku does at all," the Soul Reaper replied. "Kisuke only knows that it has a power like nothing ever seen before. Aizen could do anything with it and since he tried to create his own once before, he probably already has a plan in mind."

"So you see now what our interest in rescuing Rukia is. Do you still trust us?" Yoruichi asked.

"None of that matters!"

It was Ichigo who had spoken up. Everyone looked to him with a curious gaze upon his outburst.

"I feel sorry for what happened to Mr. Hiromasa and this Aizen sound like a real asshole, but that not why I'm here," he stated. "I came here to save Rukia and as long as you're gonna help us do it, I see no reason not to trust you two."

Ryuu smirked and Yourichi looked at the boy in amusement.

"You're blunt, boy, but you know where your priorities are. I respect that," the older man said. "Alright, we save Rukia and then we get her out of here. After that, she's in your care."

"Right," Ichigo said with a nod.

"Now, let's discuss an entrance into the Seireitei," the feline of the group said wanting to get down to business.

Ryuu nodded and picked up the brush and piece of parchment the elder had provided them with. He began drawing a rough diagram of the Seireitei and the positions of all for gates before marking the one he tried to enter with an "X".

"Now that the gate has been opened and Jidanbou has been injured, the security behind the gate will increase dramatically. Several high ranking officers will be waiting for us on the other side with orders to either detain or kill."

"So we can't beat the guardian in a contest of strength for access a second time?" Uryuu inquired.

"That was a foolish idea to begin with," Yoruichi said dryly while looking at Ichigo who bristled at the comment.

"What about the other gates?" Chad asked.

"Each gate is about a ten day walk from each other," Ryuu answered. "We'd just be wasting time and energy, not to mention they've probably bolstered security at the other gates as well."

"So how do we get in then?" the Quincy asked.

"Don't worry. If we can't get in using the gate, we'll just have to get in without using the gate entrance."

The feline turned to the elder.

"Elder, do you where Kūkaku Shiba is?" she asked. "The last time I was here, her place use to be around here, but knowing Kūkaku, it's probably long gone by now."

"Kūkaku Shiba…do you really intend to use _**"that"**_ to get into the Seireitei?"

"What are you guys talking about?" Ichigo asked frustrated by the vagueness of the conversation.

Before anyone could answered however, there was a loud stomping sound and suddenly, something came rocketing through the door. It was a person.

"A break in?" Ichigo asked in surprise.

A loud squeal was heard and everyone turned to see a massive wild boar with a bow in its fur and an angry disposition come trotting in.

"There's a wild pig at the door!"

"Damn, Bonnie threw me off again," the new person grumbled before facing the elder.

The man was tall and muscular and dressed in rather obnoxious clothing compared to the other people in the district. He wore a black vest, with white hakama, a red and white patterned bandanna on his head, and pair of white goggles. Hanging on his back at his waist was short sword.

"Hey, long time no see old man!" he greeted the elder. The elder suddenly became anxious and looked back and forth between Ganju and the only two people wearing Soul Reaper uniforms.

"Ganju! You must go back home!"

"It's been a while since I've seen you and you're already kicking me out?" the man called Ganju asked jovially. "Don't be so impolite in front the guests, it's…wait a minute…"

Ganju turned his gaze towards Ichigo and Ryuu and removed his goggles to reveal an angry scowl.

"What the hell are two punk ass Soul Reapers doing here?" he demanded.

Both Soul Reapers gave Ganju an annoyed look and remained silent. Ganju would have none of it though. He was about to stroll up to Ryuu, but one glare was all it took for him to steer away and decide that Ichigo would be a safer target instead.

"Hey, I asked you a question!" Ganju snapped as he took hold of Ichigo's cheek. Ryuu could practically feel the rage radiating from the redheaded teen. "What's a punk ass Soul Reaper like you doing here?"

Ichigo merely raised his fist and slammed it into Ganju's right cheek, sending him skidding towards the exit. Ryuu knew his action would have been similar if he hadn't frightened Ganju away from him.

"Why the hell did you hit me you damn dandelion head?" he shouted in outrage nursing his bruised cheek. "You trying to pick a fight with me?"

"That's my line you jerk! Who the hell do you think you are?" Ichigo snapped back.

"His name is Ganju Shiba," Ryuu stated. "Youngest son of the Shiba house. He's grown since I've last seen him."

"Huh, you know me?" Ganju asked suspiciously before a grin spread across his lips. "Then you must know of my reputation around here!"

"No, not all," Ryuu replied dryly causing Ganju's grin to drop.

"Are you making fun of me, Soul Reaper?"

"Not intentionally."

"Hey you're fighting me!" Ichigo piped back up.

One cross word led to another and just as Ryuu and Yoruichi predicted, the two hotheaded fools were out in the streets fighting.

"That kid is going to cause tumors to grow in my brain from all the headaches he's causing me," Ryuu muttered in annoyance.

"I second that," Yoruichi added dryly.

"Should we stop them?"

"It might be a good idea…"

"Yeah…"

Both stayed silent for several seconds before looking to each other, neither one wavering. Finally, Ryuu let out an aggravated sigh.

"Sure, I'll do it," he stated sardonically causing Yoruichi to smirk triumphantly as he made his way outside.

"Hey, stay outta the boss'-" one of Ganju's little minions tried to say before Ryuu pushed him out of his way roughly.

He continued onward towards Ichigo and Ganju who were trapped in a deadlock with their swords. Once he was within reach, he grabbed both males by the hair and slammed their heads together. The two fell onto their backs with looks of surprise mixed with pain.

"W-What the hell, old man?" the younger of the two shouted irately. "Suddenly blindsiding us…how many of my fights are you going to butt into?"

The glare Ryuu gave Ichigo as he hiked the boy up by the scruff of his shihakushō was deadly. He was tired of the boy's recklessness.

"The correct response is "Thank you for cleaning up my messes and saving my ass from certain destruction, Mr. Hiromasa"," he growled lowly.

Ichigo shrank under the older man's glare and nodded his head timidly.

"T-Thank you for cleaning up my messes and saving my ass from certain destruction, Mr. Hiromasa," he repeated.

"Oh, you little kiss ass, you," Ryuu said with a mock grin as he gently slapped Ichigo's cheek before dropping the boy to the ground, then turning his attention to Ganju. "And you, I expect better of a member of House Shiba."

'_Then again, given the hot-headed nature of his sister, this was probably expected,' _he thought to himself.

"What the hell do you know, Soul Reaper?" Ganju asked angrily.

Before Ryuu could respond, there was a loud ringing sound as if a massive alarm clock had gone off.

"Boss! Bad news!" the same thug Ryuu had pushed away shouted fearfully. "It's nine o'clock already!"

"What? Already?" Ganju asked before placing his fingers between his lips and whistling loudly. "Let's go Bonnie!"

The same bow-wearing boar that had entered the elder's hut leapt over Ichigo's head and charged into its rider sending him tumbling down the street before he managed to mount the beast and take off.

"Hey! Where are you going? Why are you running away?" Ichigo called after him.

"Who said I was running away, punk?" Ganju demanded in offense. "I just have somewhere that I have to be. I'll be back here tomorrow to finish you off! So don't you dare go running off like a crying little girl!"

"What'd you-"

"Enough, Ichigo!" Ryuu said sternly placing his arm in front of the boy's path. "We don't have time to be picking fights with people who aren't our enemies. Get back in the hut and rest. Tomorrow we're going to find Kūkaku."

* * *

"What do you mean you're not coming?" Uryuu shouted irately Ichigo.

"I'm gonna wait for that guy right here and finish what we started yesterday!" the boy said adamantly.

"Don't be an idiot! Let's go!" the Quincy shouted and started to pull on Ichigo only for the redheaded teen to resist and pull himself back into the house.

"Let go! He'll think I ran away!"

"So what?"

"Um…we're all ready to go," Orihime announced poking her head back inside the hut.

"Orihime, help me with this idiot!" Uryuu requested.

"Who are you calling-"

Ichigo was cut off when three sharp claws slashed across his face causing him to scream in searing pain. Ryuu walked in to see what the holdup was and burst out laughing when he saw Yoruichi with three claws extended and three bloody line crossing over Ichigo's nose.

"Did you forget what we came here for?" Yoruichi asked in annoyance, ignoring Ryuu's laughter. "We came here to save Rukia! That's what matters right now."

Ichigo said nothing as he picked himself up off the floor sporting his new marks. They would heal, but Yoruichi surely got her point across.

"If you understand then let's go!"

Ichigo continued to remain silent and returned to his sitting position. Ryuu had had enough.

"Ichigo?" he called out.

The boy turned to face him and was horrified by the look in the older man's eyes.

"Do you and I need to have a 'talk' about our priorities?" he asked menacingly as he cracked his knuckles for effect.

The boys fear filled eyes told Ryuu that a "talk" was not necessary and within seconds the group was off. He could have just reminded the boy that they were going to visit Kūkaku Shiba and that the guy he fought last night was her brother, but that wouldn't be as fun as scaring him.

It had been a good hour and a half or so since they left the village. Ryuu cursed Kūkaku for moving so frequently. Lucky for them, she stuck to the West District so they wouldn't have to worry about traveling very far.

Ichigo and Uryuu were arguing about how long it was taking, with one shouting about whether or not they were going the wrong way and the other shouting back daring the other to give it a try he though himself so capable.

"Um…why does Kūkaku live so far out if she's the only one who can get people into the Seireitei?" Orihime asked curiously.

"That's just the way his personality works," Yoruichi explained. "He would prefer a place that quiet, with few people around. Don't worry, even if the location keeps changing, the design of the house is always similar. We should be able to spot it without much effort."

"Oh, ok then," Orihime replied satisfied by the answer.

Ryuu, however, was curious. He walked a little closer to Yoruichi so they could talk in private.

"Why are you telling them Kukaku's a man?"

"For shock value," the feline answered simply.

"That is a very stupid reason."

"But is sure is fun," she replied with a grin. "It's the same reason why I'm letting the go on thinking I'm a man."

"When are you going to change back to normal anyway?"

"I'm waiting for the right moment."

"Which is what? When you and one of the boys are alone and you can shock them with your nudity?" Ryuu asked already knowing the answer.

"Oh, don't pretend you didn't like it," Yoruichi said slyly.

"I'm married."

"That's not a no," she teased.

"Shut up!"

It only took a few more minutes of walking before Ryuu and Yoruichi spotted the audacious house that could only belong to Kūkaku Shiba.

"There it is!" Yoruichi announced.

Ryuu watched in amusement as the teens all laid eyes on the house and expressed their utter shock at how ridiculous it looked. Ryuu never understood Kūkaku's rather bizarre aesthetic. What sane person would put two giant teal colored stone arms holding up a sign that read "Kūkaku Shiba" on the side of their seemingly modest looking house? It just looked flat out ridiculous.

"You can tell right away that it's hers," Yoruichi said in amusement. "The human hands holding up the banner are better than the last design."

"But not by much," Ryuu said with a grimace. The house just looked plain atrocious.

"Well, let's go!" Yoruichi called out to the kids. They needed to be constantly reminded that they were on a time table.

"Hold!" a loud voice boomed.

Everyone looked up in time to see two men crash to the ground. Both were very tall and muscular figures who looked very similar in terms of physical appearance with a few exceptions. One wore a yellow, while the other wore a white one.

"Who are you?" the one in yellow demanded.

"Your clothes are odd! And two of them appear to be Soul Reapers!" the one in white stated. "We Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko will not allow you suspicious bunch to pass!"

"Leave no or die!" one said dramatically.

"Where did Kūkaku find these guys?" Ryuu mumbled to himself.

Ichigo was just about to draw his blade again when Yoruichi made her way to the front of the group. The two men looked down at the cat and somehow recognized it immediately.

"Master Yoruichi?" they exclaimed in surprise.

"Hello you two. You remember Ryuu?" she said nodding over in the Soul Reaper's direction.

"M-Master Hiromasa?" they exclaimed in surprise once more.

"Forgive us! We did not realize you were back!" Koganehiko apologized.

"It's alright," Yoruichi said dismissively. "We are here to see Kūkaku. These kids are with us."

"Yes, of course! Please follow me," Shiroganehiko said before turning around and heading into the small house.

The teens were surprised to see that there was only a staircase that descended downwards. It took around a minute before they reached the bottom and found themselves in a well-lit hallway. At the bottom Shiroganehiko lifted his hand up, indicating them to stop.

"Please wait a moment," he requested before heading a few steps away towards another door.

"What is it, Shiroganehiko?" asked a rough feminine voice.

"W-Well…!" the man stammered somewhat nervously.

"Looks like we have some rare guests," the voice commented. "Well, don't just stand there, open the door!"

"Y-Yes! I will do so immediately!" the man stated before doing as he master ordered. He slid the door back and gestured for the group to enter.

They stepped inside and sitting at the far end of the room was a woman sitting amongst some throw pillows over a blanket. Her long messy black hair was wrapped haphazardly in bandages. She wore a sleeveless red robe that exposed much of her ample bust and white skirt that, given her unladylike pose, revealed much of legs. On her left arm was a black tattoo that covered much of her upper arm, but her must distinguishing feature was the right arm that wasn't there. Instead, what was left of her upper right arm was covered in bandages. They all stood before the current head of the Shiba clan, Kūkaku Shiba.

"Long time no see, Yoruichi," she greeted. "And you brought, Ryuu with you? Never thought I'd see him again."

"She's…she's a woman?" Ichigo exclaimed in utter shock, while his friends all seemed equally as surprised, even Chad's impassive face fell for a moment.

"Huh? Who are these kids?" she asked curiously as Yoruichi stepped forward.

"Kūkaku…I need to ask you a favor," the cat began.

"Don't you always?" the woman replied with a chuckle. "Is it that big?"

"Yes."

"So big that you had to bring Ryuu along for the ride?"

"She forgot to mention that it's complicated," Ryuu added.

"Really…" Kūkaku said and then stayed silent for a few seconds, as if in thought. A smile then crept onto her face. "It's been a while since you and I have had a conversation like this, Yoruichi. Alright the, tell me. I love complicated stuff."

* * *

**There you have it. I apologize for not including Retsu in this chapter. I'm rereading the manga as I write this and she doesn't appear for a few more chapters. I'll include her in the next chapter, I promise. Hopefully, I'll be able to get Ryuu into the Seireitei as well by the end of the next chapter.**

**~Blackheart**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:**** So after taking care any outstanding business and moving into my new apartment earlier this month, do I return with a short chapter. I'm debating where my sources for this should come from. I'm mostly get this from reading the manga, but I'm wondering if the anime would yield more material for me to work with. I still haven't even decided if I'll be doing any of the arcs yet. I might put up a poll later and let you guys decided if I should do any of them.**

* * *

"Alright…I think I get it…" Kūkaku said after puffing out smoke from her pipe.

Yoruichi had given her the rundown of everything that had occurred up to their arrival. Kūkaku listened patiently and without interrupting as the feline regaled her of their situation and explained why they had come to her for aid.

Ryuu was a bit worried as he waited for Kūkaku's answer. Yoruichi had told him of the tragedy that had befallen the Shiba family and their fall from the graces of the Soul Society. It had made him rather skeptical of asking her for help. Fortunately, Kūkaku was unpredictable.

"I'll take the job."

"Really?" Yoruichi asked in surprise. It seemed she wasn't too sure of asking Kūkaku either.

"Yeah," the Shiba head replied. "Since Urahara is a part of this, I can't really refuse. However, even though I trust you and Ryuu, it doesn't mean I trust those kids you brought with you."

"They're kids; what's the problem?" Ryuu asked with a bemused expression.

"One of them is a Quincy, the other's a Soul Reaper, and one's a golem. The girl's alright though, I guess, but they're all strangers to me."

Ichigo and Uryuu looked a bit agitated by her comment. Chad was…well Chad. Orihime on the other hand, looked as if she had received the highest praise despite what was just a baseless observation.

"I'll send one of my men with you just to be safe. Do you have an issue with that?" Kūkaku continued.

"Not all," Yoruichi answered.

"Who are you sending with us?" Ichigo spoke up.

"My little brother. He's still wet behind the ears so don't expect too much," the one-armed woman said before rising from her seat and heading for the door. "Hey, you ready?" she called.

"N-not yet! Wait a minute!" a voice replied from behind the door. Ryuu and Yorichi knew who it was before Kūkaku even called him.

"I'm opening the door now! Be respectful!" Kūkaku ordered sternly.

"Y-yes, big sister!" the voice replied nervously.

Kukaku pulled the screen door and revealed just who Ryuu expected.

"Hello everyone! My name is Ganju Shiba. Please to meet you," Ganju greeted politely while dressed in much more formal wear than what he was wearing last night.

There was a moment of stunned silence as Ganju and Ichigo laid eyes on each other. Everyone knew what was about to come next.

"YOU!" both of them shouted.

"Eh? You two know each other already?" Kūkaku asked in surprise.

Just as everyone expected, the two were soon throwing punches at each as they did the last night. Everyone just watched in annoyance until the boys' rough housing caused Kūkaku to drop her pipe.

"Oh shit!" Ryuu said in horror.

"Get the kids out of here!" Yoruichi ordered before scampering for the door.

"Let's go guys!" Ryuu ordered as he hiked Orihime onto his shoulder and then grabbed onto Uryuu's cape and quickly dragged the protesting Quincy out of the room and back up the stairs.

"W-What's going on?" Orihime asked in confusion.

"The only thing you really need to know about Kūkaku is never cause her to drop her pipe!" Ryuu replied as he hurried up the stairs.

They broke through the entrance and out into the sunlight just in time. About three seconds later, a massive explosion was heard, the ground shook, and smoke erupted from the house they had just fled from.

"W-What in the world was that?" Uryuu exclaimed for his haphazard spot on the ground, his cape still fisted in Ryuu's hand.

"Kūkaku has a rather…"explosive" temperament," Yoruichi explained. "She's usually calm, but getting her agitated can yield rather negative results."

"I'll…try to remember that," Uryuu said with an audible gulp.

"Smart boy," Ryuu commented.

When it was deemed safe to return inside, Ryuu and Yoruichi led the group back down the stairs. As they descended, they heard Kūkaku's raised voice and a loud smashing sound. Ryuu was the first to enter the room and assess the damage. Kūkaku was standing tall with her arms crosses and a scowl on her face while both Ichigo and Ganju were lying on the ground moaning in pain. The room itself was a wreck. The walls and floors were charred and severely damaged. Ryuu did not envy whoever had to clean this mess up.

"What the hell is wrong with the two of you?" she shouted at them. "You started throwing punches the second you saw each other!"

"Ow…" Ichigo ground as he pushed himself up off the ground. "Randomly attacking someone…I guess you two really are brother and sister!"

"Ichigo shut up and play dead!" Ryuu hissed from the doorway.

But it was too late. Kūkaku was already on him. She fisted his hair and pulled him to her face and gave him a glare that would make a grown man soil himself.

"Listen you little punk! This is my house and I make the rules!" she said in a deadly tone. "Are we gonna have a problem?"

"Nope!" Ichigo replied quickly, fear evident on his face.

"Alright then," the Shiba head replied, her voice returning to a much more contained tone. "All of you!" she returned to shouting, this time at Orihime, Chad, and Uryuu.

"Yes Ma'am!" all three replied in unison.

"Follow me this way," the older woman ordered.

Kūkaku led them all down another hallway in the underground manor. When they stepped into the room at the end of the hall, they were greeted by a rather surprising sight.

They entered into a wide open circular room large enough to fit at least a hundred people in. At the center of the room, sitting on top of raised platform, was a large violet tower like object that reached up to the ceiling.

"What is that thing?" Ichigo asked in awe.

"It's huge!" Uryuu added.

"I'm going to use this to send you into the Soul Society…from the air!" Kūkaku stated.

"What?" both Ichigo and Uryuu shouted in confusion. "How?"

"I'm Kūkaku Shiba…Fireworks Master of the Rukon District! Koganehiko, Shiroganehiko, bring us up!" she shouted towards the ceiling.

A few seconds later, the floor started to shake and the ceiling started to split apart. The sky became visible as the floor started to rise up along with the massive tower that Uryuu had earlier mistaken for a chimney. The floor continued to rise until it stood above the ground outside the entrance to Kūkaku's underground home. Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko were standing a few feet away next to a crank system.

"So? What do you think kids? This is my personal fireworks station!" Kūkaku stated proudly.

"The Kūkaku Cannon!" Ganju added from beside her. His comment only earned him and swift kick to the face from his elder sister.

"Who said you could stand up here!" she shouted angrily.

"Sorry!" Ganju said from a heap on the floor.

"This…this isn't the time to be joking around!" Uryuu spoke up. "I don't know what kind of expert you are, but firing us at the Seireitei with that thing is impossible, it has to be!"

While the Quincy was shouting, Kūkaku procured something from her person- Ryuu had no possible idea where. It was a round clear sphere with a bird like marking on it. Before Uryuu could finish his rant, the Shiba head threw the object at him, hitting him square in the face. The sphere bounced of the boy's face and landed in Ichigo's hands.

"What is it?" he asked, ignoring his friend who was now lying on the ground with a large red mark on his face.

"It's a Reishūkaku," Kūkaku answered. "Hold it and give it your spiritual energy."

Ichigo looked at the orb for several seconds with a look of concentration on his face before realization crossed his features.

"Hey…how do I give it my spiritual energy?" he asked.

"Huh?" Kūkaku looked at him with a raised brow. "Just focus your power into your hand like when you use your Kido. You're a Soul Reaper right? You should know this."

"Well…he's not an official Soul Reaper," Yoruichi said with slight embarrassment in her voice. "He hasn't been trained in Kido."

"That wouldn't be an issue if I was the one who trained him," Ryuu interjected.

"You're right because the issue would be that he would be dead!" Yourichi shot back.

"I guess it can't be helped," Kūkaku said in annoyance. "Ganju, show them how!"

"You got it!" the younger Shiba replied dutifully.

He tried to grab the orb from Ichigo, who decided to be a smartass and play keep-away with Ganju. Just when it looked like the two were about to enter another brawl, they received a powerful fist to the back to the head by both Ryuu and Kūkaku.

"Behave yourselves!" Kūkaku seethed through gritted teeth.

"We don't have time for your stupidity!" Ryuu added angrily.

"Sorry," both young men said with pained voices.

Once he got up, Ganju took hold of the Reishūkaku, concentrated and after pouring enough of his spiritual pressure into it, he formed a large spherical barrier around his body.

"W-What is that?" Ichigo asked in amazement.

"This is the cannonball," Kūkaku said while tapping on the orb her brother was standing proudly in.

"The cannonball?" Uryuu repeated with a slightly worrisome expression.

"It's our way into the Seireitei," Ryuu spoke up.

"What do you mean?"

"Well-"

"Hey, who's telling the story, here?" Kūkaku shouted irately.

"Fine," Ryuu grumbled.

"Anyway…the wall around the Seireitei is not the only barrier. The wall itself is made of a special mineral called Sekkiseki that completely blocks out all spiritual energy. Unless you can break through the wall, you can't get it in. The bigger issue is that the Sekkiseki releases a unique form of spiritual power from its surface that acts as a barrier. The Seireitei is covered by this barrier both above and below ground," the one-armed woman explained.

"So, if you guys just try to fly in, your bodies will be turned to dust on contact," she continued while tapping on the sphere Ganju was still trapped in. "That's why we need this."

"S-Sis…I…can't hold much longer!" Ganju gasped from inside the sphere. Indeed, he did look like he was about to pass out from exhaustion.

"Just hold it!" Kūkaku replied coldly before continuing her explanation. "My invention here creates a specially hardened spiritron shell. By providing spiritual energy to the Reishūkaku you can create a cannonball strong enough to penetrate the barrier surrounding the Seireitei. I'll then use the Kūkaku Cannon to fire you into the air and break you in with one clean shot. It may sound ridiculous, but it's the only chance you guys have of getting in. Any questions?"

Before any one of the kids could speak up, Kūkaku snapped her fingers.

"Meetings over! Time for you guys to train," she ordered abruptly. "Koganehiko! Shiroganehiko! Get them to work!"

The two tall men grabbed the teens and began carting them back towards the house.

"And train hard! If you can't do it by tomorrow, you'll be blown to bits!" Kūkaku called out casually.

"What? Why didn't you mention that earlier?" Ichigo shouted angrily as he was carried away.

"You think they'll get it?" Ryuu asked Yoruichi.

"They don't really have a choice," the feline replied as she headed off as well.

Ryuu was about to follow her when he heard Kūkaku arguing with her younger brother.

"I won't do it!" Ganju stated adamantly. "I'll never help a Soul Reaper. I don't care what you say to brother!"

"Ganju," Kūkaku said her voice deathly quiet. "I told you to **never**bring that up again!"

"Sis, I-" Ganju tried to argue, but his elder sister cut him off.

"Go, you're done here. And one more thing…don't let them see that pathetic face of yours," she said coldly before turning her back on him.

Ganju looked as if he might burst into tears, but he hurried off back to the house before anyone could see.

Ryuu glanced back at Kūkaku who stood silently before her massive cannon. She may have waved off things with anger, sarcasm, and more often than not aggression, but Ryuu had known her long enough to know when something was really bothering her. He wasn't sure if the fact that she was helping a few Soul Reapers despite what happened to her brother that was bothering her or if it was something else. Kūkaku never seemed like one to hold grudges, but maybe it was her long standing friendship with Yoruichi that was making her help them out. Either way, it was best not to ask her right now. Perhaps he would ask later when she cooled down.

* * *

For the remainder of the day, the kids spent their time training to form the cannonball in the underground manor. Orihime was able to master it quickly, Uryuu had a bit of trouble with the shape, Chad needed to tone down the amount of power he put into it, and Ichigo…couldn't even form a solid shape.

Ryuu would have helped, but teaching the boy to do something was like teaching the rain not to fall, so he left it to Yoruichi and Ganju. He left the manor and spotted Kūkaku sitting in front of the canon. He approached her cautiously and noticed that she was drinking sake.

"I know you're there," she spoke up in annoyance. "I may never have trained as a Soul Reaper, but don't think I can't sense you."

"The thought never crossed my mind," Ryuu replied. "Mind if I join you for a drink?"

The woman said nothing. She merely set a second cup beside her and poured a bit of sake into it. That was as much of an invitation he was going to get from her. Ryuu joined her and downed the sake in one gulp.

"I must admit, I thought you would have turned us down and kicked our asses out," Ryuu said trying to start up a conversation.

"If it was just you and those kids, I would have," she replied bluntly.

"You're a cold woman."

"You got a problem with that?" she asked with a frown.

"Not as long as you're helping us."

"Right, I forgot; you like the sweet and soft-spoken types," Kūkaku replied with a light chuckle as she refilled his cup.

"Retsu's not always like that. Sometimes she's scarier than you," Ryuu said with a smile.

"I don't doubt that," Kūkaku said before downing her own cup. "Seriously though, Ryuu, why'd you come back?"

"You have to ask?"

"The Seireitei betrayed you, called you a criminal," she pointed out.

"They didn't betray me. They were deceived and given the cunning of the one who did it, I can't fault them for being misled," Ryuu responded honestly.

"So you would just go back after everything that's happened?" Kūkaku asked in disbelief.

"I have a bigger reason to go back than proving my innocence, Kūkaku."

"There weren't other women in the World of the Living?" she asked with a sly smile.

"There will never be another woman like Retsu," the former Soul Reaper replied adamantly. "I never even so much as held a conversation with another woman besides Yoruichi in the last century."

"What a shame. I guess Retsu's one lucky woman," Kūkaku said thoughtfully.

"Is that envy I hear in your voice, Kūkaku?" Ryuu asked with a hint of grin.

"Don't flatter yourself!" she growled.

He chuckled as he looked up at the massive cannon. It was his ticket back home. He had tasted that familiar feeling when he took those few steps into the Seireitei yesterday before Ichimaru forced him to flee. Tomorrow he would be back in the Seireitei and he wouldn't be leaving until everything was settled. He didn't forget why they were there; they need to save Rukia, but hopefully once they put a dent in Aizen's plan, Kisuke could help him get to work on proving his innocence.

Only time would tell. He just hoped he didn't have to wait for Retsu for another hundred years.

* * *

_The next morning__..._

Retsu had been quietly drinking her tea when the alert was given. Every captain was to report the Squad One barracks immediately. She wagered it was about the incident that occurred at the West Gate yesterday and she was right.

Head Captain Yamamoto had summoned all the captains other than Gin Ichimaru ahead of time to give them a report on what had happened.

It seemed Gin Ichimaru had acted outside his jurisdiction and without proper authority. This would have only passed as a minor transgression and would have resulted in some simple punishment like excess paper work or probation of some sort. The problem was that Ichimaru did not eliminate the intruders as was his duty and this was odd because someone of the Third Squad Captain's skills should have been able to handle a handful of intruders with no hassle. This was a cause for great suspicion for the Head Captain.

She herself had no real opinion on the matter. If it was merely a mistake or an act of poor judgment on Ichimaru's part then the Head Captain would grant him some miniscule punishment. If it was something more, than he would still be punished accordingly. Either way it was of little consequence to her; she had her own concerns.

The doors to the room opened and in walked Ichimaru.

There was a tense silence in the air amongst the captains in the room as they all turned the eyes to the captain of Squad Three. Gin himself looked completely unfazed by the scrutinizing stares, but then again it was impossible to know what he was thinking and what emotions that foxlike grin was truly hiding.

"What's goin' on?" the man asked innocently. "Is this really so important that every capn' had to come just for me? But wait, the capn' of Squad Thirteen ain't here."

"He's been excused due to illness," Squad Nine Captain Kaname Tosen spoke up.

"Oh? He's still sick?" Gin asked his grin faltering for a brief moment. "Well I wish him the best."

"Enough!" Eleventh Squad Captain Kenpachi Zaraki said in annoyance. No doubt he viewed this meeting as a simple waste of his time. "I heard that you dealt with some intruders outside of your jurisdiction and that you failed to kill them. Explain yourself! Someone as strong as you should have no problem dealing with a bunch of intruders."

"Huh? Ya mean he didn't die?" Gin asked with his usual grin indicated he was most likely not surprised.

Retsu had to admit that she was suspicious now. Granted, the Third Squad captain wasn't exactly what she would call trustworthy.

"That's odd," Ichimaru continued flippantly. "I was so sure I got 'em. Guess my senses are getting' dull."

"Stop your games!" Squad Twelve Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi snapped. Clearly another captain who thought this meeting was a waste of his time. "It is impossible for a captain to be unable to detect whether or not his opponent has eliminated. Can it be that deliberately failed and are using 'carelessness' as an excuse?"

"Are ya sayin' I purposely let 'em go?" Gin asked.

"Exactly."

"Shut up Kurotsuchi! I was talkin' first!" Kenpachi snapped at the skeletal captain. "If you keep talking over me, I'll kill you!"

"How ridiculous…" Retus heard Squad Two Captain Soifon mutter beside her.

"Enough!" Head Captain Yamamoto spoke up irately. "Stand down both of you, Captains Kurotsuchi and Zaraki!"

The two captains glared at each other for a few more seconds before backing off. Now they could all get back to the matter at hands.

"Now, Gin Ichimaru, are you aware of why you were called to this meeting?" Yamamoto asked. "You acted alone and without proper authorization. What's more, you failed to kill to capture or defeat the intruder. These actions are most unusual for a captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. I would like to hear your explanation for all of this. So, do you have anything to so say, Ichimaru?"

There a brief silence as all eyes turned to Ichimaru.

"No I don't," he answered casually. "I got no excuse. I made a mistake and won't try to justify my carelessness."

His was lying, any foo could see that. The question was: why? What was he hiding from them? For some reason it all put Retsu on edge. Across from her, it seemed Sosuke Aizen the Captain of Squad Five shared her concerns.

"Just a moment, Ichimaru," the man spoke up.

Before he could continue, however, the alarm sounded again.

"Emergency! Emergency!" the man over the loud speaker exclaimed. "Intruders are approaching the Seireitei! All personnel report to their stations immediately!"

"What? Is it the same ones as last time?" Aizen asked somewhat worriedly.

Before anyone realized it, Kenpachi was running out the door. There was no stopping him. All he wanted was to find the strongest one among the intruders and fight them.

Yamamoto sighed in annoyance before speaking up.

"I suppose this meeting will continue later. Ichimaru's punishment will be decided when the situation is dealt with. Everyone return your barracks."

Retsu was eager to return to her barracks. She wasn't overly worried about these intruders yet, but any mother would worry for the safety of the children.

And of course, thinking of her children made her think of the husband she had lost.

"Retsu? Everything alright?" Shunsui asked from beside her. He noticed her usual serene face sullen somewhat.

"Yes, everything's fine," she replied quickly returning her expression to its normal peaceful one.

Shunsui was not entirely convinced. He was much more perceptive than people gave him credit for.

"How are those girls of yours?" he asked with a friendly smile.

"They are just fine. They are happy and healthy," she answered.

"Must be hard being a mother and captain at the same time," Shunsui said with a sigh as he tilted his straw hat up. "With all the work I do, I don't think I could manage being a parent on top of everything else."

"I wasn't aware you did any work, Captain Kyōraku. I thought you had your lieutenant do all the work," Retsu said with a light giggle.

"Well, ya got me there," Shunsui replied with a light laugh. "Speaking of which, I better get back and make Lil' Nanao is up to speed and I guess you better get to your kids."

"Indeed, thank you for your concern, Captain Kyōraku," the bell flower captain said with a serene smile before taking her leave.

Still, she could not shake this odd foreboding feeling that had come over her since the alert was sounded. What was going on in the Soul Society that had her this worried?

* * *

**I apologize if Retsu seems OOC. I can't really help it since Kubo keeps her mostly as a background character and we only catch the tiniest of glimpses of her inner most thoughts and feelings throughout the anime. Hopefully, you all find the thoughts and emotions I've put into her believable.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note****: Well, first off this chapter was much longer a month ago. I had written this entire chapter out from start to finish back in August and after rereading it at least four times...I couldn't get past the fact that I absolutely hated it and if I hated it, I knew all of you would hate it too. So, I deleted the original draft and tearfully started over, but before I could do that, I realized that I lacked the necessary knowledge to successfully write this arc. So that led to going back and reading all the manga chapters from 90-179. That's basically what I spent the last month of summer doing...that and looking for a second job. So, the result of that month led me to write this very short chapter. In hindsight, it would have been batter if I added this to the last one. I have a new idea of what will happen to Ryuu now that I'm well informed about this arc and trust me it's a much better idea than the original chapter.**

* * *

It was quite a thrill barreling towards the Seireitei at such velocity. Kūkaku's cannon plan had gone off without any hitches and Ryuu was now trying to manage the flow of his spiritual power into the Reishūkaku along with the others inside the sphere while Ganju was trying to perform the follow-up incantation to Kūkaku's cannon technique.

Since Ganju had to give the incantation, he was unable to use his own spiritual power to help balance the power necessary for the sphere to support them. Fortunately, Ryuu was able to more than compensate. It all seemed to be going well for the moment. Soon they would be entering the Seireitei and they could continue with their rescue.

Unfortunately, the group's orange haired wild card had to complicate things…again.

Ichigo as usual was giving off more power than necessary. Everyone, even Chad who had to learn how to stabilize his raw spiritual energy back at Kūkaku's manor was able to put the necessary amount of power into the Reishūkaku. Ichigo, however, was leaking spiritual energy like a broken water main and gradually disrupting the flow of energy that was being put into the barrier.

"Ichigo you're…a little strong," Orihime politely pointed out.

"Oh…alright," Ichigo replied and began to try and rectify the problem only to unintentionally make it worse.

"Ichigo! Lower!" Uryuu replied a bit more forcefully.

'_He's one to talk,'_ Ryuu thought to himself. _'It took him hours to stop making that egg shaped barrier!'_

"I know! I'm lowering!" Ichigo bit back.

Again, he was subconsciously adding more. Ryuu was doing what he could; even going as far as to lower his own output, but the boy just kept going. He warned Kisuke that the boy should have been taught the basics of self-control, but the eccentric scientist merely smiled behind that stupid fan of his and insist it was "no biggie".

"Ichigo…" Chad urged.

"I know!" the boy snapped.

"You're putting into too much! Pull back!" Ryuu instructed with urgency. They were approaching the Seireitei in an unstable sphere of spiritual energy at around five hundred feet per second.

"I'm trying dammit!"

"Shut up! You made me read the same line twice!" Ganju shouted in annoyance.

"Why are you only yelling at me?!" Ichigo demanded in outrage.

"Now is not the time to be fighting!" Orihime spoke up.

"Hey…look at that!" Chad said.

Everyone quieted down and did as the giant instructed. They were mere seconds away from reaching the barrier around the Seireitei and the cannonball was nowhere near stable enough for them to get through cleanly.

"We have no choice…everyone pour in as much energy as you can!" Yoruichi ordered. "Make the cannonball as hard as possible!"

"You sure that's a good idea?" Ryuu asked.

"It's the best one I've got," she replied.

"That'll have to do," he muttered as he began to pump a bit more of his spiritual energy into the cannonball along with everyone else.

This would either go very badly or only mildly badly. Only one of those outcomes would get them into the Seireitei; the other…not so lucky.

The cannonball made contact.

* * *

Retsu looked had just entered the Squad Four barracks when she felt the disturbance. She and the all the squad members that were present in the courtyard looked up to see…something trying to penetrate the barrier around the Seireitei. The object should have been turned to dust by now, but it just kept coming. What could have enough power to break through the barrier like this?

It was then that she felt something and it caused her eyes to widen.

It was faint and she only detected it for a split second, but it was there. She had felt this before and her heart nearly stopped upon realizing it. She knew that signature. She was very familiar with it…intimately familiar.

"It can't be…" she gasped out quietly. "It's…impossible."

Logically, it had to be. The odds of this incident occurring and that spiritual signature being detected at the same time should have been infinitesimal. Retsu had been a captain for over four hundred years and as the best healer in the Soul Society, her life was dictated by logic and that side of her told her that this was impossible.

Deep down, however, the small part of her, the part that she had kept buried beneath a thick layer of duty and responsibility as captain and a mother for the last century, had allowed herself to hope, to be overcome with a myriad of emotions that she always managed to keep within hidden beneath her near constant mask of serenity and poise. She felt confusion, worry, shock, relief, and a tiny hint of joy that she had not felt since that day one hundred years ago.

"Ryuu?"

* * *

Aizen looked up with concern at the disturbance in the barrier…at least he appeared to be concerned. Inside he was brimming with a sinister satisfaction. He knew it was only a matter of time before Urahara sent a rescue team and he actually had to fight the urge to outwardly grin as he felt the quick, faint spiritual pressure of Ryuu Hiromasa.

The former captain still had a hothead it seemed. His little reunion with Gin had told him as much. Sosuke knew Ryuu's desire to take vengeance on what had been done to him and his comrades would override his priority to save Rukia…vengeance mixed along with his rather amusing love for Retsu Unohana.

There was also the signature of the Substitute Soul Reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki to take into account. That boy was an integral part of his plan. No doubt Yoruichi would see to his survival and his inevitable growth. He need not worry about him; he had been observing him for quite some time.

The only wild card was Ryuu. Ryuu had not yet witnessed his Kyōka Suigetsu, and therefor had a slight edge of over him. Still, getting him to lay his eyes on it once shouldn't be too difficult; he saw little reason to worry. In the meantime, since he had Gin occupied with another task, perhaps sending Kaname after Ryuu was a good idea. It would certainly provide him a chance to discover how much the former captain's skills had evolved since his forced exile and it should slow him down just enough to make sure everything fell into place.

The pieces were all in place. All he had to do was sit back and watch it all unfold. Then he would make his move.

* * *

The cannonball hadn't disintegrated or exploded. They were all in the clear for now. Now the problem was the landing. The cannonball had become trapped within the spiritual membrane surrounding the Seireitei. Yourichi had warned them not to separate because within a matter of seconds the cannonball would become a powerful vortex that would blast them away.

Just as she said, the vortex had formed. Everyone tried to come together, but it was too late. Each one was already heading off in a different direction.

"Everyone grab the person closest to you!" Yoruichi ordered.

The group did as she instructed. Ganju grabbed hold of a reluctant Ichigo, Chad took hold of Orihime, and was about to get a grip on Uryuu, but the Quincy was already too far away. Ryuu was about-reluctantly- grab the boy, but Chad beat him to it. The giant let go of Orihime and propelled himself forward to grab Uryuu. He then threw the boy back at Orihime before being rocketing towards the ground.

"Chad!" Ichigo shouted with worry.

"He'll be fine. He'll survive," Yoruichi assured him.

"But-"

"If you want to find him again, focus on staying alive first!" Ryuu ordered effectively silencing Ichigo.

The storm surrounding them was getting worse by the second. Ryuu could feel the spiritual energy reaching critical. Ichigo was trying to reach out for Orihime and Uryuu, but there was no way he could reach them in time. Ryuu himself knew it was pointless. They were going to be separated. Yoruichi leapt onto Ryuu's shoulder and dug her claws into his shihakushō to keep herself from getting blasted away.

There a bright flash and a massive concussive force sent the three pairs in different directions all throughout the Seireitei. Ryuu could only hope the kids would be able to survive the forces of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads on their own.

As he and Yoruichi plummeted to the ground, he noticed a small patrol heading towards the direction of their supposed landing spot. Ryuu doubted they would be trouble. He detected a spiritual pressure that matched a Lieutenant's, but they were all centuries from his level. It seemed, however, that Yoruichi intended a much stealthier approach because just one second before they came in contact with the ground and the armed and ready Soul Reapers, she flash stepped the both of them away and up onto the roof of a nearby building.

"Thanks for that," Ryuu said after the patrol had gone to search the area.

"You're welcome, but it looks like we have a problem," she pointed out.

"You can say that again," he replied with a dry laugh. "This definitely wasn't part of the plan."

"No, but there's no helping it now. Our only option is to continue on," Yoruichi stated sagely.

"How? Were divided against an entire city ready to kill us and those kids won't stand a chance if they're surrounded."

"I'll admit, it's not an ideal situation, but we have to press forward. Our objective has not changed."

"No, but it just became that much more difficult," Ryuu countered. "Neither of us can risk flash stepping all the way to wherever they're keeping Rukia. It's took all I could to try and hide my spiritual pressure when we hit the membrane."

"I know that, so our goal is to simply ensure that the children make it there alive."

Ryuu sighed. She said it like it was so simple. Being back in the Seireitei made him edgy. Aizen was so close yet so far away…along with Retsu. But he had to get a grip; they were here for a reason.

"Fine," he finally grounded out before focusing. "I found Chad."

"Where is he?"

"The outskirts of the Eighth Division barracks."

"Do you want to go after him?" Yourichi asked.

"I'd rather not fight Shunsui and I don't think he himself would kill Chad unless they crossed paths…but I'll keep an eye on him just in case."

"Very well then, now what about Orihime and Uryuu?"

"They're somewhere in the Seventh Division," Ryuu stated. "The Quincy should be able to protect the both of them and if anything goes wrong, but I'm worried about Orihime."

"I understand," the feline replied in agreement. "That girl was not made for battle."

"One of us will have to keep a close eye on those two."

"Now what about our favorite headache?"

"The Eleventh Division," Ryuu answered. "Should I be concerned?"

"Of the new Kenpachi? Without a doubt."

"Great," the former captain groaned as he rubbed his temples. "Still, that boy is a capable fighter and Kūkaku wouldn't send her younger brother out unless she thought he could handle himself."

"I'll look after them. The last thing we need is you getting into a fight with Kenpachi Zaraki. In the meantime, I'll see if I can find out what exactly is going. Kisuke suspects that something isn't quite right with this whole situation."

"I know, he told me as much and I agree with him," Ryuu said with a nod. "Something about this whole thing doesn't sit well with me."

Maybe he was paranoid, maybe not, but with an opponent like Sosuke Aizen, Ryuu couldn't leave anything to chance. He had to have had a hand in this somehow. He was never one to just sit back and wait; he was a schemer. He was the one who planned three steps ahead of everyone else and was a complete master of deception. For his crimes to have gone unnoticed for so long, it would take something incredibly substantial to bring him down. Hopefully, depriving him of the Hougyoku would be enough of a detriment to whatever he was planning…and hopefully Kisuke would be able to do it without sacrificing Rukia's life as a Soul Reaper.

"What do we do if one of the kid's gets captured?" he asked.

With the sudden breach of the city's defenses, he knew that the first priority would be to eliminate the threat, but he knew of a few captains like Shunsui and Jushiro who would be more inclined to ask questions rather than blindly obey the rules. With any luck the only thing they would have to worry about would be breaking the kids out of jail after they rescued Rukia.

"If that happens, I'll do what I can to get them out. I'm much more subtle than you," the black cat added smugly.

"Subtlety is not always how you win battles, Yoruichi," he replied in mild annoyance. "Sometimes, shock and awe is the best way."

"We'll we're not going for shock an awe this time so be _**discreet**_!" she reiterated.

"Fine, fine," Ryuu grumbled.

"Good luck, Ryuu," she said, her tone softening.

"You too. Stay safe," he responded.

With that she flash stepped off towards the Eleventh Division.

Ryuu recognized the area he was in as the Third Division. It wasn't the thought that one of three targets he had dreamed of killing for the last hundred years was within reach that had crossed his mind. Instead, he looked to the east. He couldn't see from where he was, but he knew exactly where his gaze had landed.

So close, but so far away.

'_Wait a little longer, Restu.'_


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note****: Well, it's been a while. I was trying to think of the best way to execute this chapter, but it took a while. So rather than force like I tried to do last week. I stopped writing and went to Salem for Halloween to de-stress myself and wait until inspiration hit. I'm...semi happy with how this chapter turned out, like 74%. The last few paragraphs are probably the worst since I wrote them when I was so tired that I put my cereal in the fridge and the milk in the cupboard, but hopefully the message gets across.**

* * *

It had been a full two days since Ryuu had entered the Seireitei with Ichigo and the others. Two days of avoiding detection, blending it with the wandering patrols searching for the "invading ryoka", and watching over the kids as the made their ways towards the Senzaikyū where Rukia had been transferred. He would dare get anywhere close to that place so deep with the First Division barracks; he was lucky the old man hadn't sensed him yet, if he in fact had not. The best he could do was make sure Ichigo or the one of the others got there. At least that way he could distract Yamamoto while one of them went after Rukia. It wasn't a foolproof plan, but it was the best he could come up with the resources he had, unless Yoruichi had a trick or two left up her sleeve.

Ichigo and the others had it pretty rough since they entered the Seireitei. Ichigo had already fought and defeated the Third Seat of Squad Eleven, evaded the rest of the Division, and won his rematch against the lieutenant that took Rukia. Last he check, he was traveling towards the Senzaikyū with Ganju, and little scrawny kid from Squad Four.

Uryuu had done a good job of protecting Orihime. They survived an encounter with a seated officer of the Seventh Division and managed to successfully blend in with Soul Reapers by procuring a couple of uniforms. He was certain they were moving through the Ninth Division barracks by now. He just hoped Tosen wasn't aware of them yet.

Chad was the one impressing Ryuu the most. The young man had been alone for the last two days, but he managed to evade capture and defeat all who came his way. And to think he had been worried about the giant travelling alone.

Ryuu himself had taken refuge in a store house within the Sixth Division barracks. He was trying to stay close to the kids in case anything went wrong, but he found it had to move on so quickly when his target was one division over and his life's greatest joy was two divisions over. Apart from those distressing thoughts there was another tidbit of information that had been bothering him. He heard from the few patrols he blended in with that Rukia's execution date kept being moved up. Last he heard it was tomorrow afternoon.

It wasn't there shortening window of time that was bothering him, but the fact that the date kept constantly changing. He didn't recall the Central 46 do anything like this before, it was too messy; they preferred neat and tidy. Changing execution dates wasn't something they did; they always offered the accused a set grace period. Yoruichi had informed him and Kisuke that this had not changed in the last century, so why was it happening now? He had that itching feeling again, that Aizen was somehow involved. Know he was getting worried that he really was paranoid.

Through the window shutters within the storehouse the sun was shining brightly. It was morning. He had rested enough. Now he would get back to looking after the kids and making sure they got to Rukia before tomorrow. He grabbed his zanpakutō, left the storehouse and blended in with the Soul Reapers outside.

Two were approaching him engaged in idle conversation. Ryuu nodded in their direction innocently by way of greeting and they nodded back before returning to their conversation.

"Hey!" he heard a voice call out from behind him. He turned to see another Soul Reaper running in their direction with a distressed look on his face.

"Did you guys hear?" he asked.

"Hear what?" one of the first two asked.

"C-Captain Aizen…was murdered!" he exclaimed in horror.

If Ryuu's eyes widened any further, they might have popped out of his skull.

Those words…he had longed to hear them for so many years. He had always hoped that what would bring about those words would be the result of his own vengeful actions, the traitor that destroyed so many lives having finally fallen to his blade. Now here he stood, back in his home, and he had finally heard those words…and all he could feel was rage.

He made purposeful strides towards the Soul Reaper and to the shock of all who might have been present, fisted the neck of his uniform and slammed him against the nearest wall.

"You lie!" he roared, pure outrage in his gaze.

This wasn't how it was supposed to end. For one hundred years he had dreamed of revenge for himself, for Kisuke and Tessai and Yoruichi, for Shinji and the others. He had dreamed of clearing all their names, seeing Aizen's cold corpse beneath his blade, being welcomed back to the Soul Society a hero, returning to Retsu and finally starting the family he should have started so long ago. And now in the course of just a few hours…that was all taken from him.

He should have been happy. Aizen was dead and all that was left and Ichimaru and Tosen. The Soul Society would finally be safe from whatever scheme had been set into motion all those years ago. But he couldn't feel any relief…because it didn't feel fair. Because it didn't feel…right.

"There is **no** way Aizen could have been killed!" he seethed at the frightened Soul Reaper who was grasping at Ryuu's arm, desperate to be back on the ground and away from the wall the he was slowly being pushed into.

"Whoa, calm down!" one of the other Soul Reapers urged.

"Just let him go!" the other one shouted.

Ryuu turned his head back towards them and the glare they received was unlike any they had ever seen. It was cooler than Captain Kuchiki's, more intimidating than the captain of the Second Division, and held the same kind of authority that reminded them of the Head Captain. This man's glare was resolute: "Do. Not. Speak."

Having gotten his point across, Ryuu returned his attention to the Soul Reaper held firmly in his grip.

"Who told you he was dead?" he whispered deathly quiet.

"N-No one!" the young man replied. "I-I just heard he was found dead pinned to the Shōheki by Lieutenant Hinamori!"

"Did you see a body?"

"N-No, I just heard a few minutes ago, I swear, b-but they probably already moved it to the morgue in the Fourth Division!"

Ryuu said nothing else. He simply dropped the Soul Reaper, turned on his heel and walked away.

"Hey you! What the hell's the matter with you?" one of the Soul Reapers shouted at Ryuu's retreating back.

"Who are you anyway?" another demanded. "You don't look like a member of this squa-"

"_Bakudō #38:_ _Hakufuku_," Ryuu muttered as he continued on his way. He didn't even stop to look back as their now unconscious bodies fell limply to the ground. He had to get to the morgue and see with his own eyes.

* * *

Retsu looked down at the lifeless body before her lying on a slab in her morgue. It always pained her to have to enter this room, which lacked any cheer or positive energy. How could such things exist when death created only despair? In this miserable room with her were Isane and Captains Sajin Komamura and Kaname Tosen. Normally she wouldn't have allowed anyone to be witness to her examinations, but given the circumstances she would let it slide.

The news had shocked her when she first heard it: Sosuke Aizen, Captain of Squad Five, murdered; such a thing just seemed impossible. It really couldn't have happened to anyone who was less deserving. Sosuke Aizen had a reputation for being kind, respectable, compassionate, and plainly speaking, a good man. For something so horrible to happen to someone so pure, it just seemed unbelievable.

The body had been rushed to her division shortly after it was found and was put at the top of her priority list. Several members of the Eleventh Division were already in her hospital at the moment, along with the unfortunate seated officer of Squad Seven who had had his powers stripped from him by having them forcibly sealed by one of the ryoka. Luckily her best officers were on hand and left her plenty of breathing room to focus on Sosuke Aizen.

"So Captain Aizen was really…" Tosen spoke up in the same hushed tone.

"Yes," Retsu replied. "He was already dead by the time he was removed him from the Shōheki. I also examined the body further for the possibility of faux corpse…but the result proved negative." She let out a long solemn sigh for her fallen colleague before giving her final word. "Sosuke Aizen, Captain of Squad Five, has passed away."

The captains behind her were silent, but she could feel the already forlorn mood dip even further. Isane bowed her head in respect for the dead captain.

"The successor for the captaincy of Squad Five will be determined after the conflict with the ryoka is resolved by the Central Forty-Six," she continued as she stood and took hold of her zanpakutō.

"Captain…?" Isane asked with a raised brow.

"Please, return to your assigned posts," she ordered quietly. "I too…will enter the front lines."

Tosen and Sajin nodded in understanding and left the room to return to their respective divisions. Once they left, Isane addressed her superior.

"What would you like me to do, ma'am?"

"Does anyone of this feel right to you, Isane?" the older woman curiously.

"What do you mean?" the taller of the two replied.

"The ryoka invasion, the charges placed against Captain Ichimaru, and now this…something about unnerves me," Retsu explained.

"Do you think one of the ryoka might have killed Captain Azien?"

"I cannot say for certain," Retsu shook her head. "I have yet to gauge their strengths for myself, but testimonies from the few that have fought them suggest they are formidable, especially for one of them to have bested Lieutenant Abarai…and now one of them is currently holding their own against Captain Zaraki."

"C-Captain Zaraki is fighting one of them?!"

"Do you pity the individual, Isane?" Retsu asked turning to face her subordinate.

"Is…is that wrong ma'am?" the lieutenant asked averting her gaze.

"Of course not," her captain said with a small smile. "I do not mean to sound so cold, but if and when Captain Zaraki defeats the ryoka, the sooner we can resolve this conflict and things can be peaceful once more."

"To answer your first question: Isane, they is something I'd like for you to do."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Could you watch after Atsuko and Mari for me while I am working? If one of these ryoka did in fact kill Captain Aizen…I am worried for the safety of my daughters."

Isane understood. Atsuko and Mari, Captain Unohana's twin daughters were her superior's entire world. She may not have been around at the time, but she was aware of Captain Unohana's marriage to former Captain of Squad Ten, Ryuu Hiromasa and of the man's apparent betrayal and exile one hundred years ago. Her captain may not have spoken much about it and she may have hid it exceptionally well from her subordinates…but there were just some nights when she couldn't sleep, she would spot her captain on her deck looking up at the moon…and her eyes were missing that usual radiance that she carried around so effortlessly. Instead they looked…lonely. Whether or not her captain believed in her husband's guilt was irrelevant; she missed him. The twins were the only piece of him she had left. The only proof of the love she had felt for a man that she missed so terribly.

"I will, Captain," Isane answered dutifully.

Retsu nodded appreciatively and together they left the room, but not before Retsu took a second to look back at the corpse of Sosuke Aizen.

There was something about the body that bothered her. She couldn't quite place it and she didn't feel confident in relaying her suspicions to Isane or Komamura and Tosen. She knew what a dead body was supposed to look like, what it was supposed to feel like, but this one felt…different somehow.

Perhaps she was just on edge. Ever since she felt that familiar spiritual pressure on the day of the invasion, she had been having a bit of difficulty focusing. It had been two days, but there had been no sighting of anyone who resembled Ryuu. Had she been wrong? Had she gotten her hopes up for nothing?

Was it not better this way?

She didn't have the answers to any of these questions and as much as she would like to pursue them, her duty as a captain and as a mother would have to come first.

* * *

It took an hour for Ryuu to finally reach the Squad Four barracks. Not being able to flash step was wearing on his nerves, especially when he so desperately wanted to get to the bottom of this as fast as possible. Luckily, he didn't have to expel too much spiritual pressure to get within the barracks and into the hospital. He made a mental note to thank Yoruichi for those crash courses in stealth.

He was thankful his wife had kept the layout of the hospital the same; it made it easy to sneak about until he reached the morgue. He made sure the room was empty before quietly entering.

He glanced around the room looking for the body of his enemy. He found nothing. There were no bodies in the morgue, just a lone table covered by a white sheet. Had they not brought the body in yet? No, it had been over an hour since he got the news from those Soul Reapers and barring his wife's expertise dulling in the last century- highly unlikely- Aizen's body should have been examined and cleared for the morgue by now. So where was the body?

Eyeing the lone table in the center of the room for a few more moments, Ryuu noticed a slight disturbance beneath the sheets. Something was underneath it, something thin. Whatever it was it was not a corpse and far too miniscule to remains of some kind.

He approached the table and pulled the sheet back. He was surprised to find that lying on an operating table in the morgue was a zanpakutō.

The weapon looked exceptionally ordinary; standard in design, emerald and green ito wrapped around a golden tsuka. What was it doing here? Did one of the officers leave it behind? Did it belong to a deceased Soul Reaper? Why did it look so familiar? Where was Aizen's body?

Questions plagued his mind and he was no closer to the answers despite taking the incredible risk of coming here. Here reached for the coroner's report hanging from the edge of the table in frustration. He needed a damn answer! He read over the document, eyes roving the paper intently down to the last detail looking for the answer he so furiously sought out. According to the chart, the table was supposed to be holding the body of the deceased Sosuke Aizen.

The answers suddenly hit him with the force of a tsunami.

He remembered that fateful night one hundred years ago. The zanpakutō Aizen carried. Shinji's explanation of just what kind of power his former lieutenant's weapon was capable of. The sudden death of Aizen and now finding his weapon in place of his body.

"Son of a bitch!" Ryuu roared as he threw the chart against the nearest wall with such force that it broke into several pieces.

Aizen's weapon, Kyōka Suigetsu. Complete manipulation over the five senses. Such power couldn't have been put in the hands of a more dangerous man. He used it one hundred years ago to frame Kisuke, Tessai, and himself for treason…and now he used it to fool all of the Soul Society, including his brilliant wife, into believing he was dead. Now he knew the truth: Sosuke Aizen was still alive and no one but him realized it.

"Hello? Is someone in here?" someone called out.

Ryuu snapped out of his rage and rushed to the wall beside the door. Access to the morgue was prohibited to anyone below the rank of Lieutenant unless receiving permission from Retsu. If he got caught, he would no doubt be reported to his wife. He had the information he needed; now he had to get out of the Fourth Division barracks before he was spotted.

The door opened and in stepped one of the nurses, a female wearing a hospital gown rather than a shihakushō. Once she passed the threshold, Ryuu grabbed hold of her placing his right hand over her mouth and wrapped his left arm around her neck just tight enough to cause unconsciousness; he wouldn't dare use Kido here where he could so easily be caught. Once the woman went limp in his hold he gently laid her against the wall and muttered a quick apology before hurrying out the door and down the hallway.

He took the most familiar route through the division on his way to the safest exit he could remember. The best way out was through his wife's personal garden. Everyone respectfully kept away from that spot and his wife has left for the frontlines. Just get to the gardens and he would be home free. He moved past his wife's quarters, resisting the urge to venture inside, and pushed the sliding door aside.

Instead of finding an empty garden, he spotted three people gathering flowers. One was a tall young woman with silver hair wearing a Soul Reaper uniform and a lieutenant's badge. The other two girls were much younger, children in fact looking to be no more- by living human standards anyway- than ten years old. The most distinctive features were the fact that they were identical twins with only minor differences in hair style. Both had long hair that was a beautiful shade of brown. The one on the right had her hair perfectly straightened while her twin on the left had hers a bit messier, more casual. Both girls had soft features that were eerily familiar to Ryuu. They sort of looked like…

"Who are you?" the lieutenant demanded. "I don't recognize you as a member of this squad."

"Oh? And you know all the faces of every member of Squad Four?" Ryuu questioned.

"Then who are you?"

He could have lied, but he doubted it would do him much after having barged into Retsu's private garden. He had to think of a way out of this and quick. She was a lieutenant, so incapacitating her shouldn't be too difficult. He just had to be careful about injuring the little girls who were eyeing him warily.

'_Those eyes…' _Ryuu thought. He felt like he should know these girls.

"I asked who you were!" the lieutenant snapped when he hadn't responded and Ryuu noticed her hand twitch in the direction of her zanpakutō.

"I am…leaving," Ryuu said before slamming his palm on the ground. "Sekienton!" Red smoke erupted from the ground and engulfed the garden. He didn't want to risk using Kido, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

He heard three sets of coughs as the thick smoke expanded. Now was the time to leave.

"Atsuko! Mari!" he heard the lieutenant shout.

Ryuu suddenly felt horrible at the possibility of traumatizing the children. They shouldn't have been exposed to something like this. What were they doing in his wife's garden anyway?

He leapt for the nearest wall and began running across the rooftops of the barracks as fast as he could. That Kido spell should have alerted anyone close by.

"Stop him!" he heard the familiar voice of the lieutenant shout.

He looked back and spotted the lieutenant from the gardens on the roof. Within a matter of seconds, more Soul Reapers began flash stepping onto the roof chasing after him. He didn't fear their combat abilities; members of Squad Four were not known for being the best fighters. All he had to do was outrun them. That plan hit a wall when a few actually managed to surround him.

"Stop running intruder! We hereby place you under arrest!" one of them stated as he and the rest of them drew their weapons.

"That's a really bad idea," Ryuu said casually.

"Put your weapon on the ground!" the Soul Reaper continued.

"How about you all put yours down on the ground and I don't have to hurt you to get out of here?" Ryuu suggested.

"I will not tell you again!"

"Good than that means you've decided to let me pass!"

Ryuu didn't want to have to hurt them. He couldn't afford to leave a trail behind-even though he was already off to a bad start with that.

"Detain him!" the man ordered.

"Guess we're doing this the hard way," Ryuu muttered as he reached over his shoulder and gripped his zanpakutō.

"Stand down," a soft yet firm voice ordered. It was a voice that the Soul Reapers obeyed without question…and a voice that shattered Ryuu's world.

The Soul Reapers around him lowered their weapons and stepped back. Ryuu froze in his spot as he heard the soft footsteps approach from behind. He didn't dare turn to face her; he was terrified of what he would see. Would her face show joy, anger, sadness?

Silence permeated the air. Every Fourth Division member was waiting in anticipation for either the Ryoka or their captain to speak.

Ryuu let out a sad sigh before turning around and facing his wife.

"Hello…Retsu," he greeted sullenly.

If she was surprised to see him, she didn't show it.

"Somehow…I knew it was you the moment the invasion began," she stated.

"Hmm…I suppose trying to hide from you was pointless. Maybe…maybe I revealed myself deliberately," he admitted. "I was never good at keeping things from you."

"You always were like a bull in a china shop," she commented, her face remaining expressionless.

He actually let out a light chuckle at that. She was correct after all.

"You haven't changed much though, but it seems your hair's grown longer," he noticed.

"And yours seems to have gotten shorter," she replied.

"You don't like it?" he asked as he ran his hand through his brown tresses.

"It suits you actually," she said, easing his concerns.

He couldn't help, but smile at her. The woman he loved was standing before him after a century of being kept from her. He wouldn't dare allow the realization that she might not have been happy to see him like this, as an enemy, to enter his mind. He was just happy to see her face.

"You still look beautiful," he spoke softly.

The look in her eyes was hard to read. She wasn't giving him any indication that she accepted his comment or that she did not desire it, but one thing was conveyed clearly in her expression: _Not here, not now._

"I have to place you under arrest, Ryuu" she said keeping her tone neutral.

He let out a humorless laugh. "Of course you do."

"Will you resist?" she asked.

"Only a fool would oppose you, Retsu," he said before undoing the sash at his torso and holding his weapon out to her. "I surrender."

Retsu stepped forward slowly and took the hold of Ryuu's weapon. For a brief moment he noticed her delicate hands tense as they gripped his zanpakutō.

"Don't let them see," he whispered so only she could hear.

Retsu looked up at him for a moment in surprise, but she understood. She had an image to maintain and she could not allow her personal matters to be seen by her subordinates during such a time of unrest in the Seireitei where she needed to be the veneer of calm everyone beneath her needed her to be.

She took the weapon from him and walked away without another word to him.

"Arrest him," she ordered stoically.

Ryuu didn't fight back as the Fourth Division members used various binding Kido to restrain and incapacitate him. Yoruichi would not be pleased with him for being caught, but hopefully she would focus more on the children rather than him. At best, his arrest would be cause for an investigation into the invasion rather than a simple search and destroy mission. Only time would tell what would become of him. He just hoped some good came of this.

* * *

Retsu had alerted Squad Two of Ryuu's arrest and had him brought to the holding cells within the barracks. His zanpakutō had been given to Squad Two as well. Her prison was not sufficient enough to contain him…that was one of the reasons she had turned him over to Captain Soifon anyway. The second was far more personal…and far more heartbreaking.

She couldn't bear to have him so close to her.

She always wondered what she would do if she ever saw Ryuu again. She dreamed he would just appear before her for no reason and there would be no consequences awaiting either of them upon his return.

Reality was much more cruel and unforgiving.

Ryuu was back. Her husband was back and she had to arrest him for mounting an invasion against the Seireitei. It wasn't fair.

Alone in her bedroom, the tears she had been holding back fell freely. She didn't know what to do.

"Mother!" a soft voice called out.

The door to her room opened and in stepped Atsuko and Mari looking rather unnerved.

"Mother, what's happening?" Mari asked nervously. "Who was that man?"

Retsu quickly wiped her tears away and put on a brave face for her daughters. She couldn't let them see her like this.

"Nothing's wrong dear. Everything has been taken care of," she said with a false smile as she knelt down and pulled her twins into a loving embrace.

Atsuko wasn't convinced. "Mother…are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Retsu answered as more tears threatened to spill.

Her daughters had seen their father and didn't even realize it. How on earth could she tell them the truth? How could she tell them that their father was a criminal? And how could she tell them that even after all this time despite what he had done…she still loved him?


End file.
